Members phkrause Posted October 9 Author Members Posted October 9 🎉 Yahoo! It's Friday! You made it. Programming note: We'll be off Monday for the holiday. See you back here bright and early Tuesday morning. In today's edition: College football's widening talent gap, Cleveland stays alive, Wilson wins fifth MVP, the Lane Johnson effect, Behind the Lens, all eyes on Tuscaloosa, NFL mock draft, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🏈 MIND THE GAP BASKETBALL LOST CINDERELLA. IS FOOTBALL NEXT? UMass beat Rutgers last month in a rare win for a Group of Six team over a Power Four opponent. (Ed Mulholland/Getty Images) With just three wins in 76 games against Power Four opponents this season, the Group of Six has reached a competitive low point in the modern history of college football. Has the transfer portal, combined with NIL money, killed football's Cinderella? Dan Wolken, Yahoo Sports: In 76 games played this season between the Power Four and the Group of Six, teams from the latter have won just three. But the disparity is even more jarring when you dig into the numbers. Of the 73 wins by power conference teams, 27 had a margin of five touchdowns or more. In 10 of those games, the Group of Six team didn't manage to score a single point. Ever since NIL, revenue sharing and unlimited transfers came to college sports, we have seen bits and pieces of evidence suggesting that Cinderella might be dying in football and men's basketball. On the heels of a March Madness tournament with no mid-majors in the Sweet 16 and a fairly large sample size on the gridiron this fall, it's getting harder to deny the obvious. Bottom line: The talent gap between the 68 schools playing power conference football and everyone else has widened to the point where Group of Six programs sometimes look more like a feeder system than a competitive entity. "Something I'm happy about is we got nine starters on defense who are seniors," New Mexico head coach Eck joked last month after nearly beating Oklahoma. "So all these SEC coaches will be seeing how good our defense is and they'll look up all those guys they'd like to have play for them and they're going to see they're seniors. They have no eligibility left to transfer to the SEC next year." "The power conference schools are paying backups what we're paying starters. That's a reality," said UMass athletic director Ryan Bamford. "Any time you've got guys that are all-league or putting stuff on tape consistently week in and week out, anyone who's saying that isn't in the back of their mind isn't being truthful." Keep reading: Group of 6 struggling to stay competitive as gap with Power 4 widens: 'It's only going to get harder' 📸 SNAPSHOTS PICS DU JOUR José Ramírez came up huge in Game 4. (Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images) ⚾️ Chicago, Illinois The Guardians kept their season alive with a 9-5 victory over the White Sox, tying the series at two games apiece thanks to a six-run outburst in the sixth inning and José Ramírez (2-5, HR, 3 RBI) continuing to rediscover the MVP form that had eluded him in Games 1 and 2. Flip the script? Cleveland is seeking to become the first team to come back from 2-0 down and win a five-game playoff series since 2017, when the Yankees did that against… the Guardians (Indians). That's a lot of trophies. (David Becker/NBAE via Getty Images) 🏀 Las Vegas, Nevada A'ja Wilson was named WNBA MVP on Thursday for a record-extending fifth time. The Aces star received 65 of 74 first-place votes to beat out Lynx rookie Olivia Miles, Fever duo Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark, and two-time MVP Breanna Stewart. A league of her own: Since entering the WNBA in 2018, Wilson has received more first-place MVP votes (274) than all other players combined (233). Buccaneers players celebrate after recovering a fumble in the second half. (Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) 🏈 Arlington, Texas The Buccaneers beat the Cowboys, 24-16, on "Thursday Night Football" to notch their first victory and pull off the biggest point-spread upset (+9.5) of the season so far. Game notes: Undrafted rookie QB Jalon Daniels (19/25, 189 yds, TD) played well in his second start and Bucky Irving (165 rush yds, 2 total TD) thrashed a Dallas defense that might be even worse than last year's historically-bad unit. 🏈 IN THE TRENCHES THE LANE JOHNSON EFFECT (Michael Owens/Getty Images) The following story is written by Neil Paine, the newest addition to our Yahoo Sports newsletter team. They say you should always hire people smarter than you, and I've certainly done that here. Welcome to "Numbers with Neil." After 14 NFL seasons, six Pro Bowls, two first-team All-Pro nods and two Super Bowl rings earned while anchoring the Eagles' offensive line, legendary right tackle Lane Johnson announced his retirement Tuesday. A tale of two teams: For all his personal accolades, the best way to appreciate Johnson's greatness might be to look at what happened when he wasn't playing — what's known as the "With Or Without You" (WOWY) class of statistics. Take, for instance, the Eagles' record when he played versus when he didn't: Digging deeper: Johnson's excellence becomes even more apparent when we examine the play-by-play data over the same span as above. In plays he participated in, the Eagles gained +0.075 Expected Points Added (EPA) per play. In plays he sat, they lost -0.050 EPA per play, good for an eye-popping gap of +0.125 EPA. Since football is insanely complicated, this type of analysis can be adjusted for quality of teammates and opponents, game situations, and so forth — and it can even be tethered to broader measures of quality such as Pro Football Reference's Approximate Value (AV) as a stabilizer at baseline. If we do that, Johnson comes out around the 10th-most impactful non-QB from 2016-2025, and probably the most impactful lineman — with better pure in-game impact than David Bakhtiari and a better AV-adjusted rating than Trent Williams and Terron Armstead. Fancy numbers aside… The WOWY stat that Philadelphia fans appreciate most about Lane Johnson is very simple: Without him on the roster (1933-2012), the Eagles won zero Super Bowls. With him on the roster (2013-2026), they won two. 📸 PHOTOGRAPHY BEHIND THE LENS (Emilee Chinn/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: LeBron James poses for a portrait during Media Day ahead of his 24th NBA season, and first with the Philadelphia 76ers. Photographer: Emilee Chinn Location: Camden, New Jersey Date: Sept. 28 Behind the lens: Take it away, Emilee… Leading up to this year's 76ers Media Day, I wanted to create a unique look that was simple to execute, knowing media coverage would be heavier with the addition of LeBron James. For this portrait, I used a continuous light with a spotlight attachment aimed at the blue brick wall of the practice gym, shooting on a Canon R1 with a 50mm lens at f/4.5, ISO 320, and 1/200 shutter speed. I had just 45 seconds with LeBron across two setups — classic full-length portraits on a red seamless backdrop and this spotlight look. After quickly getting the essentials on the main set and nearly running out of time, LeBron happily agreed to one final shot. I had spent the week envisioning a portrait that captured his emotion but also added a dramatic feel, and with just one pose and one opportunity under the spotlight, I was able to achieve what I wanted. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WEEKEND WATCHLIST (Hayden Hodge/Yahoo Sports) 🏈 College Football Saturday All eyes will be on Tuscaloosa this weekend for a high-stakes SEC clash between No. 6 Alabama and No. 2 Georgia (7:30pm ET, ABC). Weather is expected to play a factor as Hurricane Isaias has already forced "College GameDay" to move indoors. Best of the rest: No. 1 Texas vs. Oklahoma (3:30pm, ABC); No. 21 UCLA at No. 13 Oregon (3:30pm, CBS); No. 7 Indiana at Nebraska (12pm, Fox); Texas A&M at No. 14 Missouri (12pm, ABC); Stanford at No. 3 Notre Dame (3:30pm, NBC); No. 10 LSU at Kentucky (7pm, ESPN). Friendly reminder: Week 6 of our College Football Challenge is live. Don't forget to make your picks before kickoff. ⚾️ MLB Postseason The Guardians host the White Sox in a winner-take-all Game 5 tomorrow night (8pm, TBS) for the final spot in the League Championship Series. Can Cleveland complete the unlikely comeback? Or will Chicago reach its first ALCS since 2005? The Final Four: The NLCS between the Brewers and Dodgers begins Sunday in Milwaukee (8pm, Fox), while the ALCS begins Monday in St. Petersburg (8pm, TBS) after Game 2 of the NLCS (5pm, Fox). 🏈 NFL Sunday The top two teams in our power rankings will take the field in Seattle, where the reigning champs host the undefeated 49ers (4:25pm, Fox). Other notable games include: Eagles vs. Jaguars in London (9:30am, NFL); Bears at Packers (1pm, Fox); Raiders at Patriots (1pm, CBS); Ravens at Falcons (8:20pm, NBC). Looking ahead: Week 5 concludes on Monday night with the Bills visiting the Rams (8:15pm, ABC/ESPN), who will make NFL history as the first team to play four of their first five games in prime time. 🏀 WNBA Semifinals The finalists could be determined as soon as tonight, with Atlanta and Golden State both in position to sweep on the road. First up is Dream at Liberty (7:30pm, ESPN2), followed by Valkyries at Aces (9:30pm, Peacock/NBCSN). Both Game 4s, if necessary, are on Sunday. Uphill battle: No WNBA team has ever come back from a 2-0 deficit to win a best-of-five postseason series (0-19). But the Aces and Liberty, who have no shortage of talent or playoff experience, seem like decent candidates to end the drought. More to watch: 🇺🇸 Friendly: USWNT vs. Spain (Sat. 2:30pm, TBS) … The world's top two women's soccer teams take the field in Washington, D.C. 🏎️ F1: Singapore (Sun. 8am, Apple) … Cadillac's Valtteri Bottas cycled 217 miles from last week's race in Malaysia to this one. Why not! 🏁 NASCAR: Charlotte (Sun. 3pm, USA) … Kyle Larson leads the way halfway through the 10-race Chase championship. ⚽️ Premier League: Arsenal vs. Leeds (Sat. 7:30am, USA); Liverpool vs. Man City (Sun. 11:30am, NBC) … Play resumes post-international break. 🏒 NHL: Rangers at Capitals (Fri. 7pm, NHL); Maple Leafs at Avalanche (Sat. 7pm, NHL) … The first-place Rangers (4-1-0) have yet to allow a first-period goal, their longest such season-opening streak since 1939. 🚴 Cycling: Il Lombardia (Sat. 4:35am, HBO Max) … The season's fifth and final Monument takes riders 149 miles from Bergamo to Como, Italy. Plus: 🎾 WTA China Open and ATP Shanghai Masters (Fri-Sun, Tennis); 🏀 NBA Preseason (Fri-Sun, NBA/ESPN); ⚽️ MLS Week 29 (Sat-Sun, Apple); 🏍️ MotoGP Indonesia (Sun. 3am, FS2) 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 MLB team based on the first logo it used? Hint: They made the playoffs this year. And it's probably not the team you think. Answer at the bottom. 🏈 MOCK DRAFT ANOTHER MANNING IN NEW YORK? (Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports) Yahoo Sports' Nate Tice has released his first 2027 NFL Mock Draft, and it features a blockbuster trade at the top that results in Arch Manning going to the Jets. Mock Draft 1.0: Projecting all 32 first-round picks Guess the Logo answer: Chicago White Sox. This was their first logo from 1901-02, when they were the Chicago White Stockings… which was also the original name of the Cubs (1876-87). Strange, I know. 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 October 9 Author Members Posted October 9 👋 Good morning! Happy Hump Day. In today's edition: A generation-defining rivalry, Padres survive, Dodgers seize control, EuroLeague rebuffs NBA, Djoker and Carlos win titles, baseball's haves vs. have nots, USMNT wins again, 222-0, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🏀 EuroLeague rebuffs NBA: The EuroLeague has reportedly rejected the NBA's initial offer to merge and create a single NBA Europe entity, with the offer described as "colonialist." Despite the rejection, negotiations are expected to continue as the NBA aims to launch a 16-team league across the pond as soon as 2027. 🎾 Tennis headlines: Novak Djokovic won the China Open for his 102nd career singles title; Carlos Alcaraz defended his crown at the Tokyo Open; Jannik Sinner ended his season early, meaning Alexander Zverev will become the new ATP World No. 1 (30th in history). 🏈 Eagles legend retires: Six-time Pro Bowl right tackle Lane Johnson abruptly announced his retirement on Tuesday, ending a 14-year career spent entirely in Philadelphia. To sum up his impact: The Eagles were 122-63-1 (.659) when he played and 18-30 (.375) when he didn't. 🏀 WNBA arena upgrade: The Atlanta Dream will play home games at State Farm Arena (home of the Hawks) next season, moving from a 3,500-seat venue to an arena that holds 17,000. The Dream held six regular season games there this season, and sold out five of them. 🌀 Hurricane watch: Saturday's college football showdown between No. 2 Georgia and No. 6 Alabama in Tuscaloosa is set to proceed as scheduled — for now — as Tropical Storm Isaias approaches the Gulf Coast. But the hurricane threat is serious enough that moving the game is "clearly on the table," says Alabama's foremost meteorologist. 🏒 FACING OFF A GENERATION-DEFINING RIVALRY (Ethan Palowitz/Yahoo Sports) The Capitals' home opener tonight should be quite a spectacle after Alex Ovechkin announced Monday that this will be his final season. Fittingly, it comes against Sidney Crosby, whose decades-long rivalry with Ovi has defined hockey in the 21st century. Parallel paths: The 41-year-old Russian and 39-year-old Canadian were picked No. 1 overall in back-to-back years, and debuted on the very same night (Oct. 5, 2005). They weren't enemies, per se (though sharing a division didn't help), but the context of their arrival didn't exactly foster friendship, either. "You come into the league at 18 years old, and before we even met, we were kinda built up against each other," Crosby said this week. "I think with how competitive we are … it would've been difficult to be too close." Ovechkin, perhaps not quite as eloquently, but no less honestly, echoed those sentiments years ago when he told longtime hockey journalist Michael Farber, "He is he. I am I." As you can see below,* both guys have compiled astronomical point totals, but they've arrived at those totals in ways befitting their style of play: Ovechkin the pure goal-scorer, Crosby more of the playmaker. "He is he. I am I," indeed. Tale of the tape: From the moment they finished 1-2 for the Calder Trophy (ROY) in 2006, "The Great 8" and "Sid the Kid" have racked up accolades matched by few in the league besides each other. In addition to winning ROY, Ovechkin has three Hart Trophies (MVP) to Crosby's two, 12 All-Star nods to Crosby's eight, and is of course the NHL's all-time leader in goals (929). Crosby holds the edge in Stanley Cups (3 to 1), points (1,763 to 1,688) and assists (1,109 to 759). And for all we know, he plans to continue playing and adding to those tallies well into his 40s. Head-to-head: They've played each other exactly 100 times entering tonight's matchup. Crosby leads the all-time series in both the regular season (43-28-4) and playoffs (13-12). Crosby and Ovechkin after the Penguins beat the Capitals in Game 7 of the 2009 Eastern Conference Semifinals. (Mitchell Layton/NHLI via Getty Images) Big picture: Ovechkin and Crosby arrived when the NHL needed them most. Ratings and quality of play were falling after Wayne Gretzky's retirement in 1999, and the nadir came when the entire 2004-05 season was lost to a lockout. "The game needed something special to come along," writes The Athletic's Josh Yohe. "That's precisely what happened." In that way, they mirrored Larry Bird and Magic Johnson a quarter-century earlier: two lightning-rod superstars who entered a struggling league together and helped mold it into something bigger and better. Ovi and Sid may never loom quite as large in broader sports history as Magic and Bird, but their shared reign has lasted longer: Here they are tonight, 22 years after arrival, still sharing the ice. Bottom line: The NHL is in far better hands now than it was two decades ago, with future Hall of Famers like Connor McDavid and phenoms like Macklin Celebrini already bending the league to their will. But we may never again see two all-time greats so completely — and simultaneously — define an entire era. *Neil Paine officially joined us on Monday and he's already contributing beautiful charts. Expect to see a lot more data visualizations now that he's on the team. We'll more formally introduce Neil soon. ⚾️ THE GOLDEN STATE NLDS: PADRES SURVIVE, DODGERS REBOUND (Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) Padres 4, Brewers 3 — Facing a sweep after a deeply frustrating pair of games in Milwaukee, the Padres pulled out all the stops to keep their season alive in front of a raucous home crowd, who will be back for more tonight. As for the Brewers, they've now lost 12 straight road postseason games, extending an MLB record. Next man up: With All-Star closer Mason Miller unavailable due to the birth of his first child, Game 2 starter Michael King entered in relief and delivered a six-out save on two days' rest. Here's the double play that sealed it. (Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) Dodgers 3, Braves 1 — The reigning champs seized control of the series in Atlanta thanks to yet another playoff gem from Yoshinobu Yamamoto (7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 10 K, BB), whose 2.14 career postseason ERA is the second-lowest in MLB history among pitchers with at least 10 starts, trailing only Madison Bumgarner's 2.11. Señor Octubre: Dodgers cult hero Kiké Hernández hit a two-run blast in the fourth, giving him 17 postseason homers (out of 151 total). In other words: More than 10% of his career home runs have come in the playoffs, which is something no other player with at least 100 HR can say. Reggie Jackson would be proud. ⚾️ MONEYBALL BASEBALL'S HAVES VS. HAVE NOTS (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) In sports, there's always a game within the game. MLB's Division Series is no different; the subtext is the battle between the league's huge payrolls and its frugal underdogs. The results could shape the ongoing labor war. Tale of the tape: The National League field is more financially robust, with three of the four remaining teams ranking among MLB's top 10 tax payrolls. The American League, however, features a $229 million payroll divide between the Yankees and Rays. The other matchup pits the 26th-ranked White Sox against the 29th-ranked Guardians. Wild stat: The combined tax payroll of the Brewers, White Sox, Rays and Guardians is only $45 million higher than the Dodgers' alone. Battle lines drawn: Ownership's party line in the labor battle focuses on restoring competitive parity, framing their push for a salary cap as a rallying cry for the small market fan who doesn't believe their team can win. The composition of the remaining postseason contenders spits in the face of that argument. Four Division Series participants rank in the bottom half of the league's payrolls. Three are in the bottom five. Counterpoint: As Billy Beane's "Moneyball" character surmises, "If you lose the last game of the season, nobody gives a sh*t." He wasn't wrong. A small-market team hasn't won it all since the Royals in 2015, and that's no small part of the competitive balance argument. Food for thought: Both camps have reasonable questions worth asking to frame the conversation. If teams like the Rays so consistently achieve more with less than their deep-pocketed rivals, shouldn't they have a better opportunity to collect hardware? Or should those teams always have to accomplish mission impossible to earn a ring? More bluntly, should their owners simply invest more money in talent? Play ball: The game within the game is afoot. The results could chart the future of baseball. This story was written by Dylan Dittrich, author of our new sports business newsletter. Subscribe to Yahoo Sports Biz: yahoosports.com/biz 🌎 SNAPSHOTS THE WORLD IN PHOTOS (Taylor Banner/USSF/Getty Images) 🇺🇸 St. Paul, Minnesota The USMNT beat Canada, 1-0, on Tuesday to complete a perfect post-World Cup break that featured four wins (in four matches), 13 debutants (eight teenagers), 12 goals (seven by those teenagers) and two clean sheets against their biggest regional rivals (Mexico and Canada). What they're saying: "Like we said going into this camp, there's no pressure for any of these kids to perform right now, but a lot of them did perform right now," said captain Tyler Adams. "They obviously set the standard. Now it's about continuing to keep that standard." (Marcelo Endelli/Getty Images) 🇦🇷 Buenos Aires, Argentina Lionel Messi played his final international match for Argentina on Tuesday. And because he is Lionel Messi, he had a hand in every goal, scoring once and assisting twice in a 3-0 win over Benin. "Not coming back is going to hurt so much," he said postgame. "Playing for the Argentina national team is the most beautiful thing that can happen to you." Meanwhile, in Portugal: Fellow footballing legend Cristiano Ronaldo is authoring a far less graceful final chapter. The 41-year-old quit the squad last week after being an unused substitute against Norway, and he's apparently very mad at his manager. (Thomas Skrlj/NHLI via Getty Images) 🇨🇦 Toronto, Canada No. 1 overall draft pick Gavin McKenna scored his first NHL goal (and recorded his first NHL assist) in the Maple Leafs' 5-4 (OT) victory over the Predators. "Big monkey off the back," said the 18-year-old Yukon native. "That's a goal I'll obviously remember forever." A little help from his friends: McKenna lives with veteran teammate John Tavares and his family, so it was only fitting that his assist set up a Tavares goal. It was also fitting that McKenna's goal was assisted by Auston Matthews, who hosted him for a sleepover on Sunday. "We might have to have a weekly sleepover now," said the rookie. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: WEDNESDAY, OCT. 7 (Giphy) ⚾️ MLB Division Series This is the final day of the year with more than two scheduled MLB games — and the baseball gods gave us four. Buckle up: The White Sox (up 2-0) host the Guardians (4pm ET, TBS) to get things started, then it's off to Atlanta for Braves (down 2-1) vs. Dodgers (6pm, FS1). We then travel to the Bronx for Yankees (down 2-0) vs. Rays (8pm, TBS) before the Padres (down 2-1) host the Brewers (10pm, FS1) in the nightcap. 🏀 WNBA Semifinals Both road teams will try to draw even tonight as the Liberty (down 1-0) visit the Dream (7:30pm, ESPN) and the Aces (down 1-0) visit the Valkyries (9:30pm, NBCSN/Peacock). Making the leap: After years of being a defensive stopper, Golden State's Gabby Williams has blossomed into a bonafide superstar, particularly in these playoffs, where she's averaging 25.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists. More to watch: 🏒 NHL: Penguins at Capitals (7:30pm, TNT) … Alex Ovechkin's final home opener comes against Sidney Crosby and the Pens. Well played, scriptwriters. Well played. 🏀 NBA Preseason: Timberwolves at Pacers (7pm, NBA); Warriors at Trail Blazers (10pm, NBA) … Pregame reading: Ant-Man, LaMelo and Minnesota's most polarizing pair yet Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. 🏒 LET'S PLAY TRIVIA TIME Ovi and Sid during the 2023 NHL All-Star Skills Competition. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) Alex Ovechkin (929) and Sidney Crosby (654) rank first and second in goals among active NHL players. Question: Who ranks third? Hint: Two-time Stanley Cup champion. Answer at the bottom. 📆 ON THIS DAY 222-0 (Georgia Tech Athletics) 110 years ago today, Georgia Tech — coached by John Heisman — beat Cumberland College, 222-0, in perhaps the most lopsided outcome in sports history. Not a fair fight: Georgia Tech was a national powerhouse in the midst of a 33-game unbeaten streak. Cumberland, meanwhile, had disbanded its football program that spring and assembled a makeshift team to avoid a $3,000 cancellation fee (about $90,000 today). The Yellow Jackets scored 32 touchdowns in 55 minutes, good for one every minute and 43 seconds. Cumberland had 15 turnovers, zero first downs and -33 total yards. As legendary sportswriter Grantland Rice, who was there, put it: "Cumberland's greatest individual play occurred when fullback Allen circled right for a six-yard loss." Revenge game: Heisman, who was also Georgia Tech's baseball coach, reportedly ran up the score as payback for a baseball game the prior year, when Cumberland fielded a team of minor league ringers and embarrassed Tech in a 22-0 win. Trivia Time answer: Steven Stamkos (625 goals) 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 October 11 Author Members Posted October 11 ⛳️ Spanish golf star Jon Rahm is exiting LIV Golf after deeming the league's reinvention plan "unacceptable." His departure marks a significant blow to the effort to create "LIV 2.0" after the league filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. More from Nathan Bomey. 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 October 12 Author Members Posted October 12 👋 Good morning! It's a great day to have a great day. In today's edition: Three MLB teams advance, Rahm leaves LIV, Golden State and Atlanta go up 2-0, NFL power rankings, Jock Stocks, Saban doc premieres, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES ⛳️ Rahm leaves LIV: Jon Rahm, one of the biggest names remaining in LIV Golf, is exiting the league as it prepares to transition into its next phase. The Spaniard reportedly "reviewed the proposed terms of LIV 2.0 ... and has determined that those terms are unacceptable to him." 🏈 Eagles trade Jurgens: The Eagles traded two-time Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens to the Ravens for two draft picks, meaning they've now lost three starting offensive linemen since opening day after Landon Dickerson got injured and Lane Johnson retired. Despite what appears like a puzzling move, GM Howie Roseman says they're still "trying to win this year." 🏀 Happy trails, Dana: Longtime Oregon head coach Dana Altman is retiring less than a month before the season begins. Altman, 68, led the Ducks to nine NCAA Tournament appearances in 16 seasons, and will be replaced on an interim basis by assistant Tony Stubblefield. 🎾 Coco withdraws: Following her fourth-round defeat at the China Open, Coco Gauff announced she's withdrawing from next week's 1000-level Wuhan Open, which she won last year. Her decision comes amid a "draining" week in which she received an "insane" amount of racist comments after defeating a Chinese teen in the third round. ⚾️ Trump to honor Clemens: President Trump announced at a rally in San Antonio on Wednesday that he's giving Roger Clemens the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and that he called commissioner Rob Manfred earlier this year to push for the seven-time Cy Young winner (and alleged steroid user) to get into the Hall of Fame. ⚾️ DIVISION SERIES DODGERS, RAYS, BREWERS CLINCH (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) Four teams had a chance to clinch a spot in the League Championship Series on Wednesday; only three got the job done. Sorry, Southsiders. Dodgers 4, Braves 1 — The quest for a three-peat marches on, as Los Angeles quieted the crowd in Atlanta to reach its eighth NLCS in the past 11 seasons. Andy Pages got the big hit, a two-run go-ahead single in the seventh, and Dave Roberts moved into second all-time with 72 playoff wins as a manager (Joe Torre, 84). Can't win if you don't hit: The Braves' offense was anemic all series, batting just .145 including an unsightly 1-for-23 with runners in scoring position (.043). "[The fans] are well within their rights to boo," said Ronald Acuña Jr., who struggled as much as anyone. "I didn't do anything." (Sarah Stier/Getty Images) Rays 4, Yankees 3 — Tampa Bay brought out the brooms in the Bronx, hanging on for a narrow victory to clinch its first trip to the ALCS since 2020. The Yankees, meanwhile, extend their World Series drought to 17 years, tied for the longest in franchise history since winning their inaugural championship in 1923. Jeffrey Maier 2.0: The most consequential play of the night came in the sixth inning, when Yankees 2B Anthony Volpe hit a game-tying two-run homer that was downgraded to an RBI double due to fan interference. It was reminiscent of the infamous Jeffrey Maier catch in the 1996 ALCS — 30 years ago tomorrow — albeit with the opposite outcome. Everybody be cool, this is a robbery! (Gregory Bull/AP Photo) Brewers 3, Padres 1 — Manny Machado and the 47,712 fans at Petco Park thought San Diego had this game tied up in the eighth inning, but Brewers centerfielder Garrett Mitchell had other plans, robbing the would-be game-tying homer to help Milwaukee advance to its second straight NLCS. Up next? A rematch with the Dodgers. Going out with a whimper: The Padres went 0-for-21 at the plate to end the season, marking the longest hitless drought by an NL team to end a postseason all-time. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images) Guardians 9, White Sox 3 — The Southsiders entered the day hoping to celebrate their first playoff-series-clinching win at home in 120 years; instead, Cleveland's offense finally came alive for a season-saving victory. 10 of 11 Guardians who came to the plate reached base safely, combining for 11 hits and 10 walks while striking out just six times. Speaking of strikeouts: Cleveland’s pitching staff made history by striking out 19 batters, the most ever by a team in a 9-inning postseason game. 🏀 WNBA SEMIFINALS VALKYRIES, DREAM TAKE CONTROL Tiffany Hayes' 21-point effort off the bench sparked the Valkyries win. (Jed Jacobsohn/NBAE via Getty Images) On Oct. 5, 2023, the WNBA awarded the Bay Area an expansion team. Three years later, the Golden State Valkyries have already become: The most valuable franchise in women's sports ($1 billion per CNBC, $850 million per Sportico). The first WNBA team to eclipse 18,000 fans per game for a whole season. The first women's sports team to eclipse $100 million in annual revenue. The first WNBA expansion team to reach the playoffs in its inaugural season. And now this: They followed up that final achievement in year two by posting the WNBA's second-best record, and are now one game from the Finals after beating the defending champion Aces, 83-81, on Wednesday to take a 2-0 series lead. (Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) Meanwhile, in Atlanta: Angel Reese and the Dream held on for a 101-98 overtime win over the Liberty to take their own 2-0 series lead — a deficit no WNBA team has ever come back from in a best-of-five series. 🏈 WEEK 5 NFL POWER RANKINGS (Joseph Raines/Yahoo Sports) The undefeated 49ers have surged to the top of our latest power rankings, setting the stage for a season-long battle for supremacy in what once again looks like the NFL's best division. Division breakdown: The mighty NFC West, which made history last season when three teams won 12+ games, currently has by far the best average ranking of any division, with those same three teams landing in our top eight. The woeful NFC South brings up the rear, without a single team in the top 15. NFC West (9.5): 49ers (1), Seahawks (2), Rams (8), Cardinals (27) AFC West (14): Chiefs (3), Raiders (10), Broncos (14), Chargers (29) NFC North (14.5): Bears (6), Vikings (9), Lions (19), Packers (24) AFC North (14.75): Ravens (7), Bengals (11), Browns (20), Steelers (21) NFC East (17.25): Cowboys (12), Eagles (15), Giants (17), Commanders (25) AFC East (19.5): Bills (5), Patriots (13), Jets (28), Dolphins (32) AFC South (20.75): Jaguars (4), Colts (22), Texans (26), Titans (31) NFC South (21.75): Falcons (16), Panthers (18), Saints (23), Buccaneers (30) Notice anything? A regional hierarchy appears to have emerged this season: The two West divisions lead the way, followed by the North, East and South divisions. Kind of strange, isn't it? 📉 JOCK STOCKS BLOOD IN THE STREETS IN Q3 The S&P 500 gained 2.3% in Q3 despite turbulence throughout. While sports franchises were resilient, the market offered little hospitality to many companies operating in sports and sports-adjacent industries. 🎰 Sports gambling: The giants in sports betting struggled again, with FanDuel owner Flutter dropping 27% and DraftKings down 25%. Other businesses in and around the space also stumbled as the industry remains plagued by prediction market competition, organic growth concerns, and legislative changes. 👟 Apparel and footwear: The biggest sign that conditions were challenging? Nike (-13%) was one of the best performers in Q3. Under Armour (-30%), Hoka owner Deckers (-21%), Adidas (-20%), and On (-16%) all struggled amid soft demand and heavy discounting. ⛳️ Golf: Wavering consumer appetites extended to the golf course, as softer forward-looking guidance from both Titleist owner Acushnet (-30%) and Callaway (-25%) weighed on share prices after strong first-half performance. Higher material and import costs have also contributed to struggles. 🎟️ Ticket marketplaces: StubHub (-57%) and Vivid Seats (-41%) struggled as much as anyone in Q3, as a World Cup hangover and regulatory headwinds (i.e., all-in fee transparency) stifled growth trajectories. Structural developments are also threatening the business, as primary market sellers become more aggressive with dynamic pricing. Bottom line: You can hardly go a day without positive news for sports franchise valuations. The story in other pockets of the sports ecosystem is not nearly as positive. This story was written by Dylan Dittrich, author of our new sports business newsletter. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: THURSDAY, OCT. 8 Chicago's Rate Field before Game 3 on Wednesday. (Jessie Alcheh/MLB Photos via Getty Images) ⚾️ ALDS, Game 4 The White Sox (up 2-1) will try to finish the job tonight at home (8pm ET, TBS), while the Guardians hope to send the series back to Cleveland for a decisive Game 5. Jekyll and Hyde: Cleveland's offense in Games 1 and 2 scored just three runs on seven hits before erupting for nine runs and 11 hits in Wednesday's victory. Which team will show up tonight? 🏈 Buccaneers at Cowboys Week 5 kicks off at Jerry World (8:15pm, Prime), where the 2-2 Cowboys host the winless Buccaneers, who are off to their first 0-4 start since 2013. Don't bet on it: Tampa Bay (currently +8.5) has failed to cover the spread in an NFL-record 13 consecutive games. Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. 🏈 LET'S PLAY TRIVIA TIME (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) "Saban," a six-part docuseries chronicling the life and career of legendary college football coach Nick Saban, premieres tonight on ESPN (6pm ET). Question: While Saban is best known for coaching Alabama, he was also the head coach at three other colleges and one NFL team. Can you name those four teams? Answer at the bottom. 🏎️ START YOUR ENGINES YAHOO SPORTS x APPLE TV (Apple) This weekend's Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix 2026 continues our season-long partnership with Apple TV for F1 coverage. Tune in: Tomorrow's practice and sprint qualifying (4:30am ET; 8:30am), plus Saturday's qualifying (9am), will air for free on Yahoo Sports. Saturday's sprint (5am) and Sunday's race (8am) will stream on Apple TV, the new U.S. home of Formula 1. Trivia Time answer: Toledo (1990), Michigan State (1995-99), LSU (2000-04), Miami Dolphins (2005-06) 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 October 12 Author Members Posted October 12 > Canadian author Anne Carson wins Nobel Prize in literature for her work blending ancient Greek and Roman works with contemporary influences (More) | See all previous winners (More) > Cleveland Guardians force Game 5 against Chicago White Sox in American League Division Series tomorrow at 8 pm ET (More) | Full MLB playoff bracket and schedule (More) > Podcaster Joe Rogan renews multiyear partnership with Spotify that carries a reported earnout of $250M; “The Joe Rogan Experience” has topped Edison Research’s list of the most listened-to podcasts in the US since 2019 (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 October 15 Author Members Posted October 15 👋 Good morning! Welcome back. How high will you score in today's GeoSports round? Notable quotable: "Cleveland is everything to me," said Guardians legend José Ramírez after winning Game 1 of the ALCS. "When nobody wanted to give me a chance, they gave me a chance. This is the place I love, and they love me back." In today's edition: Brewers and Guardians grab early leads, WNBA Finals conundrum, Bills win MNF shootout, Man City keeps rolling, MV-Purdy, Georgia is No. 1, USWNT seeks revenge against Spain, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🏀 Atlanta's arena conundrum: After playing three home playoff games at State Farm Arena (17,000 capacity) during their run to the WNBA Finals, the Atlanta Dream may have to host Finals games at Gateway Center Arena (3,500 capacity) due to scheduling conflicts. Their opponent, the Golden State Valkyries, will host games at Chase Center (18,000 capacity). ⛳️ LIV's Ryder Cup dilemma: The European Tour (aka. the DP World Tour) will refuse membership to golfers who sign up for LIV in 2027. As a result, any European golfers who stick with LIV won't be eligible for the Ryder Cup team next fall. 🏈 Marv on the move: Just two years after drafting him No. 4 overall, the Cardinals are shipping WR Marvin Harrison Jr. (and a 2027 seventh-round pick) to the Texans in exchange for a 2027 second-round and sixth-round pick. The trade reunites Harrison with QB C.J. Stroud, with whom he thrived at Ohio State (77 catches, 1,263 yards, 14 TDs in 2022). ⚾️ Vlad's new vision: Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. underwent laser eye surgery following the worst season of his MLB career. Guerrero has previously dealt with vision issues, wearing contact lenses while playing and eyeglasses off the field, per The Athletic. 🎓 JMU to change conferences: James Madison has voted to leave the Sun Belt Conference (which it joined in 2022) and has been accepted into the American Conference, where it will become a full league member "no later than July 1, 2028." ⚾️ CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES DODGERS DOWN 0-2, MIGHT BENCH OHTANI Shohei Ohtani continues to struggle, and the Dodgers find themselves down 0-2. (John Fisher/Getty Images) MLB's final four features three Davids and one Goliath, at least in terms of finances.* Two games into the NLCS, Goliath is already on the ropes. Milwaukee lands two punches: The Brewers took care of business at home against the Dodgers over the long weekend, besting the reigning AL Cy Young (Tarik Skubal) and reigning World Series MVP (Yoshinobu Yamamoto) to put the two-time reigning champions in an 0-2 hole. Game 1: Brewers 2, Dodgers 1 Game 2: Brewers 7, Dodgers 4 Between the lines: The top seed is supposed to win at home, so it's not like L.A. is in panic mode as the series shifts to the West Coast. But the mighty Dodgers do suddenly look mighty rickety and vulnerable — and their biggest superstar has become their biggest question mark. What to watch: The Dodgers are considering the unfathomable ahead of tomorrow's Game 3: benching Shohei Ohtani. The four-time MVP is clearly injured, though his exact diagnosis is unclear. He went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts on Monday to lower his postseason batting average to .150, which is only slightly worse than his batting average since Aug. 18 (.160). "Yeah, I mean, obviously it hasn't been good," manager Dave Roberts told The Athletic. "He doesn't feel great. I think for me, it's having a conversation with him tomorrow, kind of try to figure out what's best for him, what's best for us. He certainly has earned that conversation." Meanwhile, in St. Pete: The Guardians beat the Rays, 7-3, on Monday night to win their fourth straight playoff game. Cleveland made some fun postseason history, too, becoming the first team to get shut out through five innings only to score in the 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th. Game 2 is tonight. *Davids vs. Goliath: The Dodgers will spend $616.4 million (!!) on this year's roster between their tax payroll and estimated tax bill. That's $255.9 million more than the Brewers ($154.7M), Rays ($113.2M) and Guardians ($92.6M) combined. 🌎 SNAPSHOTS THE WORLD IN PHOTOS (Luke Hales/Getty Images) 🇺🇸 Los Angeles, California Speaking of struggling Southern California-based superteams, the Rams fell to 2-3 on Monday night with a 37-34 (OT) loss to the Bills, who rode Josh Allen's legs (121 rushing yards) and Tyler Bass' foot (game-winning 45-yard field goal) to victory. The view from first: The Bills (4-1) sit atop the AFC East following an eventful Week 5, while the Ravens (4-1), Jaguars (4-1), Chiefs (4-0), Giants (3-1-1), Vikings (5-0), Panthers (2-2) and 49ers (5-0) lead their respective divisions. (Alex Pantling/Getty Images) 🏴 Liverpool, England Manchester City faced a barrage of abuse from Liverpool supporters in their first match since being found guilty on 114 charges of breaching the Premier League's financial rules. But the jeers didn't seem to faze them: City won 3-0 to continue their perfect season. Where it stands: Man City (18 points) sits atop the Premier League table with six wins in six matches, followed by Arsenal (15), Brighton (13), Brentford (10), Everton (10) and Chelsea (10). Rounding out the top half of the league: Leeds (9), newly-promoted Hull City (9), Liverpool (9) and newly-promoted Ipswich Town (9). (Peter Fox/Getty Images) 🇸🇬 Marina Bay, Singapore Red Bull's Max Verstappen followed up his first win of the Formula 1 season with another victory in Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix. The resurgence has come too late to play a meaningful role in the title fight, but Verstappen now has a top-three finish in his sights. Meanwhile, in Charlotte: Even on a day that seemed on its face like a disappointment, Kyle Larson extended his points lead atop the NASCAR Cup Chase and is potentially four races away from a third Cup Series championship. (Luca Bettini/Pool/Getty Images) 🇮🇹 Como, Italy 20-year-old French prodigy Paul Seixas ended his breakout season in historic fashion on Saturday when he became the youngest winner of the Giro di Lombardia, one of the sport's five Monuments (prestigious one-day races). Notably absent: Five-time defending champion Tadej Pogačar wasn't able to race following a season-ending crash at the Vuelta a España in August. That opened the door for the rest of the field, and Seixas seized the opportunity. 🏈 AWARDS WATCH FROM MR. IRRELEVANT TO MVP? After leading his undefeated 49ers to victory over the defending champion Seahawks on Sunday afternoon, the MVP conversation is heating up for San Francisco QB Brock Purdy. By the numbers: According to an aggregation of prediction- and betting-market MVP odds, Purdy leads the field with a 26.7% chance, narrowly ahead of Josh Allen (26%) and comfortably ahead of Patrick Mahomes (12.5%), Trevor Lawrence (9.1%) and Joe Burrow (8.3%). And unlike those names, all of whom were top-10 draft picks, Purdy was famously "Mr. Irrelevant" in 2022, when he was the very last player taken (No. 262 pick). The historical context: If Purdy ends up winning, he would be the second-latest-drafted MVP in league history, trailing only Washington kicker — yes, kicker — Mark Moseley, who won AP MVP in 1982 after going 346th overall in 1970. (1966 MVP Bart Starr went 200th overall and 3x winner Tom Brady went 199th.) But "latest-drafted" is also doing some work there: Two-time MVP Kurt Warner wasn't even drafted, making him the most unlikely winner of all. This story was written by Neil Paine, the newest addition to our team. We'll formally introduce him later this week. In the meantime, here's a fun fact: Neil would have gotten a ring as a consultant for the 2014-15 Atlanta Hawks… if they'd won the NBA title, instead of what actually happened: getting swept by an average of 13.3 points per game in the East Finals. He still wears the hypothetical ring proudly. 🏈 CHAOS ON CAMPUS COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S WILDEST WEEK YET (Butch Dill/Getty Images) Georgia is the clear No. 1 team in this week's AP Top 25, earning all but three of the 69 first-place votes after beating Alabama, 20-17, on Saturday night in a thrilling (and controversial) matchup that has us dreaming of a rematch. Dan Wolken, Yahoo Sports: Georgia proved Saturday night it is good enough to win a championship. But it also saw the team — and particularly the quarterback — that might be good enough to prevent it. "There's no such thing as containing [Keelon] Russell," an exhausted Kirby Smart said after his defense survived and advanced to 6-0, knowing there will likely be a second meeting with far more significance somewhere down the line. Meanwhile, in Dallas: Former No. 1 Texas fell six spots to No. 7 after losing 27-24 to unranked Oklahoma on a walk-off field goal in the 122nd edition of the Red River Rivalry. Get ready for more talk about the woes of Texas' offense and QB Arch Manning, who threw two costly second-half interceptions. (Yahoo Sports) More AP Poll: Moving in: Kentucky jumped all the way to No. 15 following their 35-34 (OT) win over then-No. 12 LSU, which came a week after they beat South Carolina in overtime by the same exact score (walk-off two-point conversions in both games!). No. 21 Wake Forest and No. 25 Northwestern also joined the rankings. Moving out: Oregon (formerly No. 13) is unranked for the first time in four years following an ugly 17-15 loss to UCLA, which jumped nine spots to No. 12 with the win. Florida (No. 16) also plummeted out of the poll after losing big to South Carolina, and Pittsburgh (No. 25) dropped out after falling to UNC. Elsewhere: Mike Elko lashed out at Texas A&M fans after the team's third loss in four games … Nebraska gave Indiana a scare before losing their 31st straight game to a ranked opponent … Boise State held off Fresno State to keep their playoff hopes alive. Coming up: Saturday's slate features a whopping six games between ranked teams, including two blockbuster top-10 matchups: No. 4 Ohio State at No. 5 Indiana in Bloomington and No. 2 Notre Dame at No. 8 BYU in Provo. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: TUESDAY, OCT. 13 (Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) ⚾️ ALCS, Game 2 The Rays will look to draw even with the Guardians tonight (8pm ET, TBS) at "The Trop," where they are 57-27 (.679) this season despite Monday's series-opening loss. Pitching matchup: Freddy Peralta, who was nails down the stretch (0.93 ERA in his last 7 starts), takes the mound for Tampa Bay, while ROY contender Parker Messick (12-9, 2.56 ERA) gets the ball for Cleveland. ⚽️ USWNT vs. Spain The world's top two women's soccer teams meet tonight in Chester, Pennsylvania (7pm, TNT), where the Americans will be seeking revenge against the reigning World Cup champions following Spain's 2-0 victory on Saturday in Washington, D.C. Pregame reading: USWNT faces a new reality against Spain: The Americans are now the hunters, not the hunted (Steven Goff, Yahoo Sports) 🏒 Frozen Frenzy All 32 NHL teams take the ice tonight, which will only happen twice this season. Games start every 15 minutes beginning at 6pm, when ESPN's triple-header gets underway: Devils at Red Wings (6pm); Avalanche at Stars (8:30pm); Bruins at Sharks (11pm). See all the action: For those seeking "NFL RedZone"-style coverage, John Buccigross and Kevin Weekes will host a whip-around show from the studio (7pm, ESPN2). More to watch: ⚽️ Champions League: Atlético vs. Man United (3pm, Paramount+); Arsenal vs. Lille (3pm, Paramount+) … Two of nine games as Matchday 2 kicks off. 🏀 NBA Preseason: Cavaliers at Magic (7pm, Peacock/NBCSN); Warriors vs. Lakers (10pm, NBA) … The regular season tips off a week from today. Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. 🌎 LET'S PLAY GEOSPORTS On Tuesdays, we play GeoSports. All questions are written by me. How to play: You'll be asked five questions that combine sports and geography. Tap the spot on the globe where you think the answer is. 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 October 16 Author Members Posted October 16 👋 Good morning! Happy Hump Day. In today's edition: Tampa ties things up, Gibbs passes Sanders, MJ jersey sale sets record (again), Philly's saving grace, Christian Horner interview, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 📸 SNAPSHOTS PICS DU JOUR (Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) ⚾️ St. Petersburg, Florida The Rays beat the Guardians, 3-1, on Tuesday to draw even in the ALCS behind another gem from Freddy Peralta (6 IP, 6 K, 0 R) and an uncharacteristic blunder from José Ramírez, who booted a two-out grounder in the fourth inning that ultimately led to all three of Tampa Bay's runs. A tale of two seasons: Peralta, a Cy Young contender last year in Milwaukee, was terrible in his first (and surely only) season with the Mets, pitching to a 4.99 ERA in 22 starts before being traded to Tampa at the deadline. He went 5-2 with a 3.25 ERA for the Rays in the regular season and has now allowed just 1 ER through 10.2 excellent postseason innings. (Georgia Soares/USSF/Getty Images) ⚽️ Chester, Pennsylvania The USWNT fought back for a 2-2 draw against top-ranked Spain, erasing an 0-2 halftime deficit behind a 49th-minute goal from Ashley Sanchez and an 86th-minute equalizer from Mallory Swanson — her first national team goal as a new mom. Down, but not out: This was the first time ever that the USWNT avoided defeat despite trailing by multiple goals at half. Should they find themselves in a rematch with La Roja during next summer's World Cup in Brazil, they'll surely draw from the resilience they displayed in this one. (Kirk Irwin/NHLI via Getty Images) 🏒 Columbus, Ohio Brady Tkachuk scored his first three goals as a Panther in epic fashion, recording a natural hat trick in a span of eight minutes during a 7-3 rout of the Blue Jackets. And here's the kicker: Brady's brother, Matthew, assisted on all three goals! All in, the Tkachuks combined for nine points, tied for the most in game by brothers playing on the same team since 1985. Goal-scoring frenzy: The fourth annual Frozen Frenzy featured 112 goals, just two shy of the most on a single day in NHL history. The 222 players with at least one point set a new NHL single-day record. 💯 STAT SHEET BIG NUMBERS ⚾️ 2-0 The Brewers are the 17th pre-series betting underdog to take a 2-0 lead in a League Championship Series since the round expanded to seven games in 1985. And if history is any indication, the Dodgers could be in trouble, as 13 of the previous 16 such teams (81%) went on to win the series. Zoom out: That data tracks almost exactly even with a much broader scope, as teams with a 2-0 lead in any best-of-seven MLB playoff series have gone on to win 79 of 95 times (83%). Just four of those 16 successful comebacks came this century: 2025 ALCS (Blue Jays over Mariners), 2023 NLCS (Diamondbacks over Phillies), 2020 NLCS (Dodgers over Braves) and 2004 ALCS (Red Sox over Yankees). (Christian Petersen/Getty Images) 🏈 58 touchdowns Jahmyr Gibbs' latest monster game (207 total yards, 2 TD) gave him 58 career touchdowns from scrimmage, breaking Barry Sanders' record for the most by a player before turning 25. And with Gibbs' 25th birthday still five months away (March 20), he has plenty of time to put that record well out of reach. Something about those Detroit running backs, man… Dynamic duo: Gibbs isn't the only Lion off to an excellent start. Jared Goff's 1,485 passing yards rank second in the league, and he's the first QB in NFL history with 12+ passing TDs and zero giveaways through the first five games of a season. (Carina Johansen/NTB/AFP via Getty Images) ⚽️ 19x Viking pulled off a stunner against Bayern Munich in Tuesday's Champions League action, battling the German giants to a 3-3 draw thanks to a last-minute equalizer. How's this for David vs. Goliath: Bayern's squad has a market value ($1.17B) roughly 19 times that of Viking ($62.7M). Going streaking: Bayern's Harry Kane netted two goals in the second half to extend his Champions League scoring streak to nine games, tied for the second-longest in the competition's history, trailing only Cristiano Ronaldo (11 straight). 🏀 PRICE TAGS NO DÉJÀ VU: MJ JERSEY SETS RECORD (AGAIN) (Mike Nelson/AFP via Getty Images) For the second time in two weeks, a Michael Jordan jersey from the 1998 "Last Dance" NBA Finals has sold for a record-setting eight-figure price. Going once, going twice: Jordan's away jersey from Game 2 of that series sold for $14 million in a private deal announced by Hunt Auctions. The price is a record for any game-worn basketball jersey. Another song for the Last Dance: Three Jordan jerseys from the 1998 Finals have now cleared the $10 million barrier. Game 1: Sold for $10.1 million in a Sotheby's auction in 2022. Game 2: Sold for $14 million in a private sale announced Monday. Game 3: Sold for $12.3 million in a JOOPITER auction on Sept. 29. Seeing red: Both the Game 1 and Game 2 jerseys were in the Bulls' away red. That color has proven more desirable than the home white, perhaps because of the iconic imagery associated with Jordan's "Last Shot" and "Flu Game," both of which were Finals games played in Utah. The Game 2 jersey's value was also enhanced by: Strong provenance: Ownership could be traced back to the jersey's purchase directly from the Bulls. Robust authentication: MeiGray and SIA authentication conclusively photomatched* the jersey to Game 2. Authenticated autograph: The Game 2 jersey is the only one featuring a Jordan autograph, which Upper Deck authenticated. Keeping score: Jordan — and that specific series — now account for the second, third, and fourth-most expensive sports jerseys of all time. But they're not even in the same ballpark as Babe Ruth's "Called Shot" jersey from the 1932 World Series, which sold for $24.1 million in 2024. *Photomatching is an authentication process in which unique attributes of a jersey — like the placement of mesh holes, numbers, letters and threads — are identified in high resolution photography of the item in game action. ⚽️ DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH PHILADELPHIA'S SAVING GRACE Cavan Sullivan and the Union have been flying high. (Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) Philadelphia's major sports teams have endured a miserable stretch lately, and the internet is letting them hear about it. But amid all the misery on the diamond, gridiron and ice, Philly has quietly found a saving grace: the scorching-hot Union. How bad has it been? Well, as the Carolina Hurricanes tweeted on Sunday, "We've won more games in Philly in the last nine days than the Flyers, Eagles, and Phillies combined." So… not great. Indeed, the Phillies fell to the Braves in the Wild Card Round, the Eagles have lost three straight games (and pretty much all of their running backs), and the Flyers (0-5-3) are winless through eight games, tied for the second-worst start to a season in NHL history. Their games haven't been close, either, with an abysmal -20 scoring differential. And if you include Penn State, as some Philadelphia sports fans do, that's another football team that has lost three straight games after opening the season as a ranked CFP hopeful. Enter, the Union: In the midst of all this losing, Philly's MLS team has rattled off the single best 13-game stretch in league history, going 11-0-2 since returning from the World Cup break. Not bad for a club that sat in dead last before this run began. The Union entered the season with high expectations after winning the Supporters' Shield (best record) a year ago, but won just one of their first 15 games, prompting them to fire head coach Bradley Carnell and replace him with developmental team coach Ryan Richter on an interim basis. Richter's tactical and philosophical changes sparked a much-needed reboot, vaulting Philly (12-10-6) to sixth in the East. His decision to deploy Cavan Sullivan as a full-time starter didn't hurt either, as the 17-year-old has tied the MLS single-season record for goal contributions by a teenager (20). Speaking of MLS streaks… The Union aren't the only club to turn their season around with a historic run. St. Louis City (14-6-8) are unbeaten in 20 consecutive games across all competitions, matching the longest such streak in league history. That includes 13 wins and five draws in league play after opening the season with just one win in their first 10 matches. What to watch: Philadelphia (at third-place Chicago) and St. Louis (vs. first-place Vancouver) will both look to extend their streaks tonight as all 30 MLS teams take the field with the regular season winding down. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: WEDNESDAY, OCT. 14 William Contreras celebrates after hitting a home run in Game 2. (Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) ⚾️ NLCS, Game 3 The series shifts to Los Angeles (8pm ET, FS1), where the Dodgers are on the ropes after dropping both games in Milwaukee. Shohei Ohtani will remain in the lineup despite his prolonged slump (3-for-20 in the postseason). The Brewers' not-so secret weapon: Milwaukee's relievers have been nearly unhittable in these playoffs. They threw five perfect innings on Monday, the most by any team's bullpen in a game in postseason history; and across the postseason they've allowed just 1 ER in 28.2 innings (0.31 ERA) while striking out 26 batters. More to watch: ⚽️ Champions League: Man City vs. PSG (3pm, Paramount+); Roma vs. Real Madrid (3pm, Paramount+) … Two of nine games to close out Matchday 2. 🏒 NHL: Canadiens at Capitals (7:30pm, ESPN+); Stars at Avalanche (8:30pm, TNT) … The only games on tap following Tuesday's 16-game frenzy. ⚽️ MLS: Chicago vs. Philadelphia (8:30pm, Apple); St. Louis vs. Vancouver (8:30pm, Apple) … Philly and St. Louis both look to stay historically hot (see above). Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. 🏈 LET'S PLAY COLLEGE FOOTBALL TRIVIA (Ben Liebenberg/Getty Images) Oregon was ranked in 70 consecutive AP polls before falling out of the Top 25 this week, ending the fourth-longest active streak among FBS schools. Question: Which three schools have the longest active AP poll streaks? Hint: They're all currently ranked in the Top 10. Bonus points: Which school holds the longest-ever streak, having appeared in 348 straight AP polls from 1981-2002? Answer at the bottom. 🏎️ FORMULA ONE FIRST LOOK: HORNER INTERVIEW (Kym Illman/Getty Images) Former Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner sat down with Autosport (part of the Yahoo Sports Network) at his house for an hour, and we've got a 24-minute YouTube cut that F1 fans will want to watch. What he gets into: Why he thinks Red Bull pushed him out; how Red Bull built its own engine from scratch (and what it's like watching it win without him); "Drive to Survive" and the Toto Wolff rivalry, which he says turned into theater. 📸 THROUGH THE LENS PHOTO FINISH (FK Bodø/Glimt) 🇳🇴 Bodø, Norway — The Aurora Borealis light up the sky above Bodø/Glimt's stadium on the eve of their Champions League match today against Borussia Dortmund. Our planet is pretty incredible. Trivia answer: Alabama (302), Georgia (155) and Ohio State (103). Bonus: Nebraska 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 October 16 Author Members Posted October 16 > Winnie the Pooh marks 100th anniversary since teddy bear's first book of stories on Oct. 14, 1926 (More) | Watch the history behind the silly old bear (More via YouTube) | ... and see the feud over the original stuffed Pooh (More) > Houston Astros will not renew manager Joe Espada's contract after three seasons and two American League West titles (More) | Which coaches could replace him? (More) > Netflix lays off around 6% of its workforce, eliminating roughly 1,000 jobs and marking the company's largest cut to date (More) | How does Netflix viewership compare with other streamers? (More, scroll for graphs) 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 October 16 Author Members Posted October 16 👋 Good morning! Let's have ourselves a day. In today's edition: Brewers take 3-0 lead, Gabby Williams has leveled up, NFL power rankings, Connor McDavid at 800 games, "Fill in the blank," and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🏀 WNBA shatters records: The league set viewership and attendance records in 2026, drawing more than 91 million viewers (over twice last season's total) and 3.8 million attendees. 51 telecasts averaged at least 1 million viewers (up from 19 last season) and average attendance climbed to 11,474 fans, a 21% increase from the previous high. 🏈 MNF booth beef: There is reportedly some tension between Joe Buck and Troy Aikman over their ESPN contract situations, with Buck recently signing a new deal and Aikman yet to receive an offer. The two had an argument before Monday's game that ultimately de-escalated. ⚾️ MLB manager moves: Don Mattingly has been named the Phillies' full-time manager after turning their 2026 season around as interim skipper. Meanwhile, the Astros are parting ways with Joe Espada, who went 256-229 and made the playoffs twice in three seasons at the helm. ⚽️ Madrid's epic comeback: Wednesday's Champions League action was headlined by Real Madrid's late comeback win over Roma, scoring three goals in the final seven minutes for a 4-3 victory. Earlier in the game, Madrid's Kylian Mbappé scored his 72nd career Champions League goal, moving him into fifth on the all-time leaderboard. 🏎️ F1 returns to Africa: Formula 1 has entered a 10-year agreement to hold a Grand Prix in Rwanda beginning next decade, marking the sport's return to Africa for the first time since the 1993 South African Grand Prix. Here's a look at the new circuit they plan to build. ⚾️ NLCS BREWERS TAKE COMMANDING 3-0 LEAD (Yahoo Sports) The Brewers are one win away from their first World Series appearance since 1982 following an emphatic 6-2 victory over the Dodgers on Wednesday behind homers from Jackson Chourio, Jake Bauers and Garrett Mitchell. Player of the game: After his 12-pitch walk changed Game 2, Bauers battled 10 pitches against former minor-league teammate Blake Snell before launching a two-run moonshot to take the lead in the 7th inning. Heck of a moment for a guy who nearly quit baseball in 2024. "The only thing that brought me back was that my wife got pregnant, and I was like, 'Well, we need health insurance,'" he said postgame. Game notes: So good, so young: Chourio went yard on the game's first pitch, giving him 18 career postseason RBIs (in 19 games). That passes Andruw Jones (17 RBIs in 45 games) for the most before age 23. Historically bad offense: 274 teams have played at least seven games in a single postseason since 1903. The Dodgers' .572 OPS in these playoffs ranks 268th. Another shocking stat? They're batting .094 (3-for-32) with runners in scoring position. Not great! Nice line, A-Rod: "It reminds me of the first time I saw Mike Tyson get knocked out: you can't believe what you're seeing," Alex Rodriguez said postgame. "The Brewers, they simply melt your soul away. And they did that again tonight." Can lightning strike twice? The Dodgers are the 43rd team in MLB history to face a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven postseason series. The only team that has ever crawled back was the 2004 Red Sox, who stunned the Yankees in the ALCS. That Dodgers manager Dave Roberts played on that legendary Boston team (and helped turn that legendary series around) is more coincidence of history than useful rallying cry, writes Yahoo Sports' Jake Mintz: "We've got to give them something to cheer about," Roberts said about the understandably unenthused home fans in Game 3. "Kind of play downhill for a little bit, where I think it's just this whole series, they've outslugged us, outhit us." By the ninth inning, even the overexuberant in-stadium hosts were struggling to keep up the spirits of the rapidly diminishing crowd. "If you're still here, that means you're a true Dodger fan," one hollered. In these parts, surrender is signaled not with white flags but with empty seats. There will likely be many of those here on Thursday, with the Dodgers playing for nothing but survival and a slim chance. It's a stunning place for this sporting colossus to be, one loss away from a long winter of regret. 🏀 WNBA FINALS GABBY WILLIAMS HAS LEVELED UP Williams reacts after making a three-pointer during Game 2 of the WNBA semifinals. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) While fans wait patiently for the WNBA Finals to begin this weekend, the Dream are likely strategizing ways to stop — or at least contain — Valkyries forward Gabby Williams, who has made the leap from excellent role player to bona fide superstar. Leveling up: The 2018 first-round pick out of UConn has long been a force on the court, especially on the defensive end. But in her first season with Golden State, she's transformed into a lethal all-around player. Williams, 30, finished sixth for DPOY as a rookie in Chicago and made two all-defensive teams with Seattle. But she didn't earn her first All-Star nod until last year and averaged just 8.3 points per game through her first seven seasons, topping out at 11.6 in 2025. This year with the Valkyries, she averaged a career-high 14.4 points, earned MVP votes and still played her usual lock-down defense, finishing second to Atlanta's own Angel Reese in the DPOY race. And then came the playoffs… Through six games this postseason, Williams is averaging 22.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists while continuing to anchor the WNBA's best defense. What changed? Williams' move to Golden State unlocked what always lay dormant. Head coach Natalie Nakase's heavy reliance on the pick-and-roll created more space for Williams to operate, and her usage rate skyrocketed to 29%, sixth-highest in the league. She was also given the green light to let it fly from long range, where she shot a career-best 34.2% on a career-high five attempts per game. In the postseason, just as we've seen in previous years (see above), that's all been turned up to 11. Heck, she has nearly as many 20-point efforts in six playoff games (4) as she had in 39 regular-season games (6). One possible explanation for the "Gabby Playoff Bump" being bigger than ever this year? Four of the Valkyries' six games have been played at "Ballhalla," their electric home venue that will host Game 1 of the Finals on Saturday night. What she's saying: "This is our sixth man, honestly, on the floor. We feel it," Williams said after going up 2-0 at home against the defending champion Aces last round. "I feel like I got superpowers when I'm in here." 🏈 RISERS AND FALLERS NFL POWER RANKINGS: WEEK 5 (Joseph Raines/Yahoo Sports) The undefeated 49ers held onto the top spot in our NFL power rankings this week after beating the defending champion Seahawks, who fell four spots to No. 6. Biggest risers: The Lions (No. 13) jumped six spots after another offensive explosion, the Steelers (No. 17) jumped four spots after Aaron Rodgers delivered his best performance of the season, the Packers (No. 18) jumped six spots after blowing out the Bears and the Buccaneers (No. 26) jumped four spots after finally winning. Biggest fallers: The Eagles (No. 19) dropped four spots after losing a stunner in London, the Cowboys (No. 20) dropped eight spots after another defensive disaster, the Falcons (No. 21) dropped five spots after losing their QB and falling to the Ravens, and the Saints (No. 28) dropped five spots after an ugly loss to the Vikings. Around the NFL: Read: Which coaches are already on the hot seat? Watch: Should Chargers consider drafting a QB in 2027? Listen: What fatal flaws could derail top contenders? 💯 STAT SHEET BIG NUMBERS Maryland's Malik Washington stiff arms Rutgers' Dariel Djabome during last year's matchup. (Ed Mulholland/Getty Images) 🏈 0-75 Maryland (2-4) and Rutgers (1-4), who play each other this weekend in College Park, are a combined 0-75 (!!!) against ranked Big Ten opponents since joining the conference together in 2014. That decision looks pretty brutal from a competitive standpoint, but it's unlikely either university has realignment regrets for one very obvious reason… Follow the money: Big Ten member schools received an average of $80 million in the most recently reported fiscal year (2024-25), compared to $47 million in the ACC (where Maryland came from) and just ~$10 million in the American (Rutgers). (Luke Hales/Getty Images) 🏒 800 games Oilers superstar Connor McDavid had four points (1 goal, 3 assists) on Tuesday in his 800th NHL game, bringing his career total to a whopping 1,237 points. That's the third-most by any player through 800 games, trailing only Wayne Gretzky (1,892) and Mario Lemieux (1,580). He's getting better: McDavid, already a three-time Hart Trophy (MVP) winner, scored more points in games 700-799 (176) than in any other "century" of games preceding it, and his league-leading 17 points this season (4 goals, 13 assists) are his most ever through six games. Things are not going great for the Red Devils. (Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images) ⚽️ 6 points Manchester United (1-3-2) have just six points through six Premier League matches, marking their worst start to a season in 40 years. And it's not as if they've played a difficult schedule, settling for consecutive 1-1 draws against Fulham and Tottenham, both of whom sat in dead last at kickoff. Man up, goals down: To properly illustrate the Red Devils' current form, consider that they have a -2 goal differential while playing with a man advantage. Needless to say, Michael Carrick is on the hot seat just a few months into his managerial tenure. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: THURSDAY, OCT. 15 Those are some good-looking jerseys. (Prime Video) 🏈 Seahawks at Broncos Denver hosts Seattle on "Thursday Night Football" (8:15pm ET, Prime) in a matchup of 3-2 teams that should perhaps feel lucky to be above .500 given their mostly underwhelming play on the field. Throwback Thursday: Level of play aside, both teams should look fantastic in their throwback uniforms, which harken back to their old AFC West battles when they shared a division (1977-2001). ⚾️ League Championship Series All four teams take the field today, starting with Rays (tied 1-1) at Guardians (1pm, TBS) in a game that was moved up to the afternoon due to potential inclement weather. Then it's off to Los Angeles (8pm, FS1), where the Brewers will try to sweep the two-time defending champs. Pitching matchups: In the ALCS, it's Tampa Bay's Griffin Jax vs. Cleveland's Gavin Williams, who's struck out 23 batters across his first two postseason games; in the NLCS, Los Angeles is going with Tyler Glasnow while Milwaukee is expected to deploy a bullpen game. Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. 🏀 LET'S PLAY FILL IN THE BLANK (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) The graphic above shows the NBA's 10 most valuable franchises, according to Sportico's annual rankings. Fill in the Blank: Which team is missing at No. 5? Answer at the bottom. 📸 THROUGH THE LENS PHOTO FINISH (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images for IRONMAN) 🇺🇸 Kailua Kona, Hawaii — Rhiannon Northeast of the United Kingdom competes in the run portion of the 2026 Ironman World Championship, which saw professional men and women race together on the same day for the first time in seven years. Winners: France's Vincent Luis (7:47:27) won the men's race in his Kona debut, while Taylor Knibb won the women's race (8:36:28) to become the first American to pair an Olympic medal (two silvers in the triathlon) with a Kona title. Trivia answer: Chicago Bulls 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 Saturday at 11:25 PM Author Members Posted Saturday at 11:25 PM Brewers sweep the Dodgers in the NLCS to reach the World Series for the first time since 1982 LOS ANGELES (AP) — After 44 years, the Milwaukee Brewers are finally going back to the World Series. https://apnews.com/article/brewers-dodgers-score-nlcs-cfd30befcec42a035cbea5cae3bf746c? ps:Congrats to the Brewers winning the NL to face the AL winner!! 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 Saturday at 11:55 PM Author Members Posted Saturday at 11:55 PM > Arizona State men's hockey coach Greg Powers exits program after August outdoor workout left player on life support (More) | What happened during the workout? (More) > College Football Playoff reportedly nears deal to expand to 24 teams, beginning with 2027 season; move would double the number of teams in the postseason bracket, which debuted with a four-team format at the end of 2014 season (More) ⚾ 1 fun thing: Brew Crew dethrones Dodgers L.A. Dodgers third baseman Kiké Hernández leaves the field after making the final out as the Milwaukee Brewers celebrate at Dodger Stadium last night. Photo: Mark J. Terrill/AP The Milwaukee Brewers are headed for their first World Series appearance since 1982 after completing a shocking sweep of the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers last night. Milwaukee — a small-market franchise that's never won a title — toppled baseball's highest-paid team and the sport's biggest star, Shohei Ohtani. The Brewers will face the winner of the American League Championship Series, where the Cleveland Guardians lead the Tampa Bay Rays, 2-1. 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 Sunday at 07:27 PM Author Members Posted Sunday at 07:27 PM 🎉 Yahoo! It's Friday! You made it. Quote of the night: "They [the Dodgers] may have a bunch of Hall of Famers, but we got a bunch of gamers. And the gamers won this week," said Brewers manager Pat Murphy after his team won the NL pennant. In today's edition: Brewers complete the sweep, Guardians go up 2-1, Rahm breaks up with LIV, Broncos win ugly (again), Behind the Lens, college football's best slate yet, Guess the Logo, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🏈 CFP expansion is near: The College Football Playoff is "nearing a deal" to double the size of the field to 24 teams and the agreement "is expected to come together in the near future," according to ESPN, which holds the broadcast rights to the current 12-team playoff. ⛳️ Rahm, LIV part ways: Jon Rahm has officially broken up with LIV Golf as the struggling tour prepares for "LIV 2.0." As part of the separation agreement, he has released all claims for future money owed, which could total $100 million. 🏈 Hurts ruled out: Eagles QB Jalen Hurts will miss Sunday's game against the Panthers due to a blood clot in his calf. Tanner McKee, who has played six games since being drafted in 2023, will now be tasked with righting the ship in Philly. 🏀 GMs love the Spurs: NBA general managers answered 48 questions about the upcoming season, and the consensus is: they love Victor Wembanyama (77% picked him to win MVP) and the Spurs (50% picked them to win the title). 🥍 Mustangs adds lax: SMU will launch a men's lacrosse team that will begin play in the ACC in 2028, the university announced Thursday. The Dallas-based school will become just the fourth men's Division I lacrosse program west of the Mississippi River, joining Denver, Air Force and Utah. 🧹 REVENGE SWEEP THE EMPIRE STRIKES OUT The Milwaukee Brewers are suddenly four wins away from their first championship. (Harry How/Getty Images) Not even a Shohei Ohtani resurgence was enough to save the Dodgers on Thursday night in Los Angeles, where the Brewers — bursting with confidence — completed an unthinkable NLCS sweep to clinch their first World Series berth since 1982. The comeback crew: The Dodgers held the lead in every game of the series. That never fazed the Brewers, who are the first team in MLB history with six comeback wins in their first eight games of a postseason. Game 1: Brewers 2, Dodgers 1 Game 2: Brewers 7, Dodgers 4 Game 3: Brewers 6, Dodgers 2 Game 4: Brewers 6, Dodgers 4 Jake Mintz, Yahoo Sports: While the 2026 team is finished playing ball, don't expect the Dodgers, and all they mean, to exit the conversation. Beneath the specter of a looming labor fight, Los Angeles' gilded roster will remain in the spotlight even once autumn flips to winter. But their being bested in this particular series has less to do with larger debates about the game's future or economics and more with the simple fact that a superior Brewers team kicked their doors in. On the field, this was not an underdog story or an upset. Sure, Los Angeles was richer. Milwaukee was better. Looking ahead: No matter how the rest of the postseason unfolds, a long World Series drought will be ending this month. Either the Brewers or Rays win their maiden title, or the Guardians win their first since 1948. 📸 SNAPSHOTS THROUGH THE LENS Rookie Petey Halpin was the unlikely hero on Thursday afternoon. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) ⚾️ Cleveland, Ohio The Guardians beat the Rays, 3-2, to take a 2-1 lead in the ALCS behind another excellent start from Gavin Williams (5 IP, 9 K, 2 ER) and a go-ahead 2-run blast from rookie Petey Halpin, who unleashed a truly spectacular bat flip after admiring his work. Strikeout merchant: Williams, who led the AL with 248 strikeouts this year, has fanned 33 of the 64 hitters he's faced this postseason and now has 44 Ks in his first five career playoff starts. The only pitchers with more? Hall of Famers Sandy Koufax (48) and Bob Gibson (47). Elite company! Will Lutz celebrates after drilling a 53-yard game-winning field goal. (Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) 🏈 Denver, Colorado The Broncos just keep winning ugly. Despite another uninspiring offensive performance, Denver beat the defending champion Seahawks, 17-14 (OT), in the third straight "Thursday Night Football" game to require overtime. The Broncos improve to 4-2, while Seattle falls to 3-3. Shots fired: Ryan Fitzpatrick was highly critical of the winning QB during the postgame show. "Bo Nix is not playing competitively," he said. "It's almost disrespectful to the quarterback position how he's playing football." Mr. Hat Trick strikes again. (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) 🏒 Sunrise, Florida Panthers newcomer Brady Tkachuk made history on Thursday, becoming the first NHL player with natural hat tricks in back-to-back games since Petri Skriko in 1986. And Florida needed every one of those three goals in a 3-2 (OT) win over Vancouver. Natural hat trick? A natural hat trick is when a player scores three consecutive goals in a game, with no player on either team scoring in between. 🏈 YOU'RE (NOT) FIRED COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S OCTOBER SURPRISE In past years, Florida State's Mike Norvell would probably be out of a job by now. (Jason Clark/Getty Images) After decades of unfettered spending, the rising cost of college football rosters might finally be slowing down the coaching churn — at least a little bit. Dan Wolken, Yahoo Sports: At this point in the college football season one year ago, Mike Gundy had been dismissed from Oklahoma State, James Franklin was working on his next job at Virginia Tech, Bobby Petrino had taken over as interim coach at Arkansas and UCLA was having a midseason renaissance after getting rid of DeShaun Foster. But this fall, as we head into Week 7, the coaching carousel is oddly frozen in place. Nobody's been fired yet. Call it college football's October surprise. If this year's coaching cycle were like those of recent vintage, you'd have expected jobs like Maryland, Rutgers, Florida State and maybe even South Carolina to be open by now. Instead, there has not been much urgency to make moves. In conversations with sources who represent various sectors of college sports, a picture has emerged of an industry being forced to confront its new reality in a world of $40 and $50 million rosters. "It's a money thing," one agent told Yahoo Sports. "People who don't have any money to pay players are having to rethink what their ceiling is with their current spend." Bottom line: College football has long operated on the principle that firing a coach is the cure-all. Buyouts, no matter how expensive, were treated like line items in a budget that could be recovered by a boost in ticket sales or donor excitement. It was, in a sense, the last vestige of a fixed market where schools didn't have to pay the players. This season, though, lessons are being learned on several different fronts. Keep reading: College football's new reality: Schools can't fire their way out of trouble anymore 📸 PHOTOGRAPHY BEHIND THE LENS (Patrick Smith/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: Alex Ovechkin skates during warmups before the final home opener of his career. Photographer: Patrick Smith Location: Washington, D.C. Date: Oct. 7 Behind the Lens: Take it away, Patrick… Photographing Alex Ovechkin in his final home opener was bittersweet. Having been a photojournalist for the better part of two decades, I approach early regular-season games as just another day on the sidelines. However, it's always the players who excite me and change that outlook — and Ovechkin is one of those athletes. With the announcement of his retirement after the season, this game carried a little more significance. I wanted to make sure we had plenty of imagery of him on the ice before the game even began. Often, photographers can feel as though editors are watching every frame they shoot, which can lead to playing it safe. I feel the opposite. I want someone to see my photographs, pause, and want to know more — about the subject or the photograph itself. This image does just that. Using my Canon mirrorless camera (1/2500, f/4, ISO 5000 at 7mm), I photographed Ovechkin with Canon's newer circular fisheye lens which delivers a 190-degree field of view. Paired with the small opening cut into the glass for photographers, it creates a true snow globe effect. I've tried this before, but Ovechkin doesn't typically skate too close to my photo hole during warmups, so I was pleasantly surprised when he did, allowing me to capture a couple of frames as he went by. I knew immediately it was a special moment, even if it was only during warmups. It's the type of photograph I hope makes viewers pause and appreciate everything he's done for the game and the organization. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WEEKEND WATCHLIST (Jonathan Castro/Yahoo Sports) 🏈 College Football Saturday Six ranked matchups? Including two between Top 10 teams? Welcome to the best slate of the year so far: No. 4 Ohio State at No. 5 Indiana (12pm ET, Fox); No. 16 Mississippi State at No. 22 LSU (12pm, ESPN); No. 6 Alabama at No. 14 Tennessee (3:30pm, ABC); No. 13 Missouri at No. 9 Ole Miss (3:30pm, SEC); No. 2 Notre Dame at No. 8 BYU (7:30pm, ABC); No. 18 Oklahoma State at No. 20 Houston (7:30pm, Fox). Heisman watch: Those Top-10 clashes feature two of the three Heisman favorites in Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith (-220), who is the frontrunner by a mile, and Notre Dame QB CJ Carr (+1200), who barely trails Miami QB Darian Mensah (+1000). Who ya got? Week 7 of our College Football Challenge has arrived. Don't forget to lock in your picks before kickoff. 🏀 WNBA Finals, Game 1 The best-of-seven series tips off tomorrow in San Francisco (3:30pm, NBC), where the second-seeded Valkyries host the fourth-seeded Dream in a matchup of franchises seeking their first title. Defense wins championships: The WNBA set a league-wide scoring record this season (87.1 ppg), yet the two finalists both make their hay defensively. Atlanta allowed the fourth-fewest points per game (84.5), while Golden State allowed the fewest (75.1), and they employ six of the 10 players who earned All-Defensive Team honors. ⚾️ ALCS The Guardians (up 2-1) and Rays remain locked in a tight battle to determine who will face the Brewers in the World Series. Game 4 is tonight (6pm, TBS) and Game 5 is tomorrow (8pm, TBS), both in Cleveland. Shutting the door: Bryan Baker (TB) and Cade Smith (CLE) tied for the MLB lead with 41 saves this season, and have continued to shove in October. Baker is the first player in playoff history to allow 0 hits and earn the save in four straight appearances, while Smith, who earned the save on Thursday, has been a true postseason iron man. 🏈 NFL Sunday Just two of Sunday's 12 games are between teams with .500 records, as the 3-2 Browns host the 4-1 Ravens (1pm, Fox) and the 3-2 Raiders host the 4-1 Bills (4:25pm, CBS). Best of the rest: The Texans and Jaguars play in the third and final London game of the season (9:30am, NFL), the Falcons host the Bears (1pm, Fox) in what is expected to be Caleb Williams' return from injury and the Packers host the Cowboys on "Sunday Night Football" (8:20pm, NBC). More to watch: 🏀 NBA Preseason: Celtics at 76ers (Fri. 7pm, NBA); Nuggets at Lakers (Fri. 10:30pm, ESPN) … The regular season tips off on Tuesday. ⚽️ MLS: Philadelphia vs. Charlotte (Sat. 2:30pm, Apple); Minnesota vs. St. Louis (Sat. 4:30pm, Apple) … Philly (14 straight) and St. Louis (21 straight) seek to extend their historic unbeaten streaks. ⚽️ NWSL: Washington vs. Gotham (Sat. 12:30pm, CBS) … First-place Gotham vs. third-place Washington with three games left in the regular season. 🏒 NHL: Devils at Capitals (Sat. 1pm, NHL); Hurricanes at Jets (Sat. 3:30pm, ESPN+) … The defending champion Hurricanes (6-1-1) have won six straight. Plus: 🏁 NASCAR Chase in Phoenix (Sun. 3pm, USA); 🎾 ATP Shanghai Masters and WTA Wuhan Open (Fri-Sun, Tennis); ⚽️ Premier League, Matchday 7 (Sat-Sun, USA/Peacock); 👊 UFC Fight Night: Buckley vs. Malott (Sat. 8pm, Paramount+) 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 20 NBA teams have some form of a basketball in their logo, but just three use a full, orange-colored version of the orb. Question: Can you name the three teams whose logos feature the orange basketballs in the graphic above? Hint: All three have played in the NBA Finals this decade. Answer at the bottom. 🏀 FANTASY HOOPS DRAFT YOUR SQUAD! Yahoo Fantasy Basketball is back and better than ever. Grab your friends and play in a private league or join a public league to compete against other fans all season long. New way to play: High Score is our streamlined game format that features six weekly starters, with only their highest-scoring game each week counting toward your total. Spend less time managing your lineup and more time following the action. Draft your squad: Opening Night is on Tuesday, so the clock is ticking! Tap in. Logo reveal: A) Celtics, Knicks, C) Suns 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 08:45 PM Author Members Posted Sunday at 08:45 PM From March Madness miracles to a season opener in Rome: The story of Catholic college hoops Catholic college basketball in the U.S. has a rich history, filled with talented teams, colorful coaches, and unforgettable characters. That legacy will soon be celebrated with the first-ever Eternal City Tip-Off on Nov. 1 in Rome, when Notre Dame and Villanova's men's and women's teams face off. The arena is near the Vatican, home base to Pope Leo XIV. Not only is he the first American pope, he's a sports fan and a Villanova alum. Read more. Why this matters: There's been no word from the Vatican on whether Leo might attend the Eternal City Tip-Off, though it's considered unlikely given that he was recently diagnosed with lung cancer. After James Naismith invented basketball in 1891, YMCAs and colleges played key roles in the early expansion. Many of those schools were Catholic institutions in urban areas. Basketball — requiring only an indoor court and a handful of players — was an ideal sport for them. The NCAA men’s tournament started in 1939, officially crowning a national champion. Since then, Catholic schools have won 10 titles — including three by Villanova. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Sister Jean, the beloved chaplain for Loyola Chicago's basketball team, dies at 106 Coaching great John Thompson of Georgetown dead at 78 Rollie Massimino returns to Villanova for 1985 tribute Lou Carnesecca, Hall of Fame coach who led St. John’s for 24 seasons, dies at 99 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 Tuesday at 11:50 PM Author Members Posted Tuesday at 11:50 PM > "You Can See Everything," Nathan Fielder's film focusing on Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, generates $15M across 855 theaters to record the most successful opening weekend for a nonconcert documentary since 2004 (More) > Big 12 Conference says referees ended BYU-Notre Dame game with one second remaining on the clock, preventing the Fighting Irish from attempting a final play in 28-24 loss to the Cougars; watch controversial ending (More) > Tampa Bay defeats Cleveland 3-1 to seize a 3-2 lead in the American League Championship Series; a Game 6 victory tonight would propel Rays to World Series versus the Milwaukee Brewers (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 Wednesday at 06:26 PM Author Members Posted Wednesday at 06:26 PM 👋 Good morning! Welcome back. In today's edition: A crazy day in college football, Rays go up 3-2, Valkyries out front, NFL Sunday scoreboard, Milwaukee's "Timeless" promotion, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🏈 EXPANSION DEBATE CHAOS MEETS CONTROVERSY Unranked Auburn stunned top-ranked Georgia, marking the second straight week that the No. 1 team lost. (Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Saturday's historic college football chaos arrived just as the sport moves closer to a 24-team playoff, providing ammunition for both sides of the expansion debate. ICYMI: Five of the AP's top seven teams lost on the same day for the first time ever, with No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Notre Dame, No. 5 Indiana, No. 6 Alabama and No. 7 Texas all going down. The rankings were shaken up so thoroughly that not a single team retained its position in Sunday's new AP poll. The timing: This came just two days after news broke of a reported "handshake agreement" between the College Football Playoff and ESPN to televise a new 24-team playoff beginning next season. The madness on the field immediately became Exhibit A for both sides of the expansion debate, with two competing arguments echoing across TV broadcasts and social media feeds all weekend: Anti-expansion: Saturday's upsets were seismic precisely because every loss carries enormous consequences, even in October. Under a 24-team format, most of those defeated heavyweights would barely suffer a scratch and season-defining losses would be more like a speed bumps. Why devalue the best regular season in sports? Pro-expansion: Look at all that parity! We need more playoff teams, not fewer. Saturday proved how many programs are capable of beating the nation's best, and a bigger field would give more of them a shot at a national championship. Why let a bad performance in October decide who gets to compete for a title when we could settle it on the field? What they're saying: Polling has shown that the vast majority of college football fans oppose a 24-team playoff. But regardless of where you stand, I thought Tim Tebow did a good job summing up what expansion will fundamentally change: "Before, it was about how consistent could you be throughout the season. Now it's about can you just get in and get hot at the right time. So it takes away the consistency. Before, you had to focus every week and you had to show up and you had to bring your best. Now, you can have weeks where you don't have to show up. And I think it changes … what college football is about." Bottom line: Saturday was either the best advertisement imaginable for a 24-team playoff or the strongest argument against one. It all depends on what you think college football should value most: The magic of its regular season, or the possibilities of its postseason. Good read: What was the most damaging loss from the chaotic college football weekend? 📸 SNAPSHOTS THROUGH THE LENS (Nick Cammett/Getty Images) ⚾️ Cleveland, Ohio The Rays have regained control of the ALCS, winning Game 4 (7-3) and Game 5 (3-1) over the weekend to take a 3-2 series lead and move within one victory of their third Fall Classic appearance (2008, 2020). Ace delivers: Tampa Bay's bats got the job done on Saturday, but it was Drew Rasmussen's arm (7 IP, 6 K, 1 ER) that paced the AL East champions on Sunday. The former Brewer is now 11-0 with a 1.73 ERA across his last 15 starts. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) 🏀 San Francisco, California The Valkyries' vaunted defense took care of business on Saturday at "Balhalla," where Golden State beat Atlanta, 68-64, to take a 1-0 lead in the WNBA Finals. Gabby Williams continued her dominant form with a game-high 26 points, including eight in the final three minutes to turn a narrow deficit into a narrow victory. From 10-0 to 0-10: The Dream entered the day riding a 10-game winning streak… and left having lost 10 straight Finals games. They're still searching for their first win on the sport's biggest stage after being swept in 2010, 2011 and 2013. (Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) 🏀 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania LeBron James made his 76ers home debut in Friday's preseason finale, putting up 8 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists in an overtime loss to the Celtics. Next up: The new-look Sixers travel to New York for tomorrow's season-opener against the reigning champion Knicks. Preseason takeaways: On the eve of Opening Night, it's a great time to absorb the basketball we saw during the preseason. What are teams trying to establish? What do they need to work on? And how much should you believe in your squad? (Brett Davis/Getty Images) ⚽️ Atlanta, Georgia Stop me if you've heard this one before: Lionel Messi just set a new MLS record. This time, he became the first player in league history with at least 15 assists in three straight seasons after setting up Miami's first goal in Saturday's 3-1 win over Atlanta. But wait, there's more: Messi then scored twice in a four-minute span, giving him 25 goals this season, five more than anyone else. With 40 goal contributions for second-place Miami, he's a virtual lock to win his third straight MVP. 🏈 WEEK 6 NFL SUNDAY: RAMS REELING, BOLTS BROKEN Rams QB Matthew Stafford walks off the field after the loss. (Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) The Rams entered the season as one of the biggest Super Bowl favorites in recent memory. Six weeks in, they don't even look like a playoff team. The latest low point: an 18-16 loss to the Cardinals as 12.5-point favorites, dropping them to last place in the NFC West at 2-4. "We won't win a game unless we figure out how not to beat ourselves. There's nothing positive I can say about today," head coach Sean McVay told reporters postgame. "A good, humbling day. This is the challenge in sports." Across town, it's even worse: The Chargers fell to 0-6* with a 22-6 loss to the Chiefs, leaving Los Angeles' two NFL teams with a combined 2-10 record. The Bolts didn't generate as much preseason hype as their SoFi Stadium** co-tenants, but they were widely viewed as being among the top contenders. Instead, they might be the worst team in the league. Packers WR Matthew Golden celebrates a touchdown with the Lambeau faithful. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images) More from Sunday: Packers 23, Cowboys 13 … Once upon a time, this was a storied rivalry. Not so much anymore. The Packers are 11-1-1 against the Cowboys since 2009 and haven't lost to "America’s Team" in over a decade (Oct. 16, 2016). Bills 33, Raiders 30 … For the fourth time this season, Buffalo's defense allowed 30+ points. And for the fourth time, Josh Allen and the offense bailed them out and they won. Texans 34, Jaguars 31 … The third and final London game ended on a walk-off field goal. Next up on the NFL's international slate: Steelers vs. Saints this Sunday in Paris. Browns 13, Ravens 10 … Cleveland (4-2) sits atop the AFC North after beating the Lamar Jackson-less Ravens, but Baltimore (4-2), Pittsburgh (4-2) and Cincinnati (3-2) are lurking. Steelers 26, Buccaneers 19 (OT) … After trailing 16-3 entering the fourth quarter, Pittsburgh roared back late to win back-to-back games for the first time this season. Patriots 26, Jets 19 … Feel familiar? It should. This was New England's 41st victory over Gang Green since 2000, the most wins by any team vs. any opponent in that span. Saints 34, Giants 27 … J.J. McCarthy nearly engineered an epic comeback after replacing Jameis Winston in the fourth quarter (243 passing yards in 11 minutes!). Is it his job now? Bears 31, Falcons 23 … Caleb Williams returned with a flourish after missing the last three weeks with a hamstring injury, completing 30 of 36 passes for 305 yards and a touchdown. Titans 26, Colts 20 … Tennessee scored 26 second-half points to earn its first victory and snap an 11-game losing streak to AFC South opponents dating back almost two years. Panthers 25, Eagles 14 … The Eagles looked like a potential dynasty 20 months ago. Less than two calendar years later, it's worth asking if they need to start a rebuild. *Full circle: The Chargers' starting QB the last time they began a season 0-6 (in 2000)? Jim Harbaugh, their current head coach. **Make yourselves at home: The Cardinals (2-0) have more wins at SoFi Stadium this season than the Rams (1-2) and Chargers (0-3) combined. ⚾️ BRASS TICKET MILWAUKEE'S "TIMELESS" PROMOTION (Milwaukee Brewers) Eleven years ago, 1,000 Brewers fans paid $1,000 apiece for a ticket to any future home game. Now, with Milwaukee headed to the World Series for the first time in more than four decades, the lucky fans who held onto theirs can finally cash in. Timeless Ticket: The Brewers launched the unusual promotion in 2015, selling 1,000 "Timeless Tickets" for $1,000 each. The personalized, 1-pound brass tickets (Willy Wonka would be proud!) could be redeemed for any future home game, "whether it's this season, the year 2050, or the 7th game of the World Series." Fans who hadn't already redeemed their ticket were required to submit a form to secure their World Series seat. Ticket redemption "is subject to availability," according to the Brewers, who have been "working diligently on all inquiries." Fans who submitted requests are expected to learn today which game they'll attend and where they'll be sitting. Milwaukee hosts Games 1 and 2 on Friday and Saturday, plus Games 6 and 7, if necessary, the following weekend. Quite the value: The cheapest available ticket for Game 1 is currently $2,681 (via Gametime), and plenty of nosebleed seats are going for more than $3,500. Timeless Ticket holders, meanwhile, not only get their own much cheaper ticket but also the right to purchase three additional tickets at face value, subject to availability. Then vs. now: When the Brewers launched this promotion in 2015, it was a fun way to drum up some sales and attention for a team that rarely contended into October. Fast forward a decade, and that isn't exactly an issue anymore, as they've now reached the postseason twice as many times in the last nine seasons (8) as they did in their previous 49 (4). 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: MONDAY, OCT. 19 Tropicana Field after the Rays won Game 2. (Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) ⚾️ ALCS, Game 6 Who will face the Brewers in the World Series? We could get our answer tonight in St. Petersburg (8pm ET, TBS), where the Rays (up 3-2) will try to finish off the Guardians. Pitching matchup: Freddy Peralta (0.79 ERA in 11.1 IP this postseason) gets the ball for the home team, while the Guardians will deploy a bullpen game with ace Gavin Williams "not an option" after he went five innings on Thursday. 🏀 WNBA Finals, Game 2 The Valkyries host the Dream again this evening (8pm, USA) as they look to take a commanding 2-0 lead before the best-of-seven series shifts to Atlanta. Grit and grind: Don't expect an offensive shootout. These two defensive-minded teams combined to shoot just 32% (46-142) from the floor in Game 1, the second-worst FG percentage in Finals history. 🏈 Commanders at 49ers San Francisco brings its 5-0 record and NFL-best +61 scoring differential into a home matchup against Washington (8:15pm, ESPN/ABC), which will look to rebound from last week's clock mismanagement that resulted in a tie. Wrong kind of history: Unless the Commanders win tonight, the NFC East will become the first division since the merger (1986) to go winless in back-to-back weeks despite every team playing both weeks. Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. 🏈 LET'S PLAY COLLEGE FOOTBALL TRIVIA Hoosiers WR Nick Marsh reacts after realizing he was out of bounds on the potential game-winning score. (Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) With Indiana's 22-game winning streak and Notre Dame's 16-game run both ending Saturday, which FBS team now owns the nation's longest active streak at 12 games? Hint: Big 12. Answer at the bottom. 🏀 FANTASY HOOPS DRAFT YOUR SQUAD! Yahoo Fantasy Basketball is back and better than ever. Grab your friends and play in a private league or join a public league to compete against other fans all season long. New way to play: High Score is our streamlined game format that features six weekly starters, with only their highest-scoring game each week counting toward your total. Spend less time managing your lineup and more time following the action. Draft your squad: Opening Night is tomorrow, so the clock is ticking! Trivia answer: Utah 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 Wednesday at 10:48 PM Author Members Posted Wednesday at 10:48 PM 🏀 1 sports thing: Gators top preseason poll Data: AP. Chart: Axios Florida will start the men's college basketball season where the team ended two seasons ago: No. 1. The Gators were the overwhelming pick to top this year's preseason AP Top 25, nabbing 47 of the 59 first-place votes. 🐊 Florida started last season at No. 3, but crashed out of the poll entirely by early January. The Gators rallied to win the Southeastern Conference regular-season championship — only to get stunned by Iowa in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. 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 yesterday at 12:22 AM Author Members Posted yesterday at 12:22 AM > Tampa Bay advances to World Series with win over Cleveland, will face Milwaukee (More) | Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts will reportedly miss the rest of the NFL season due to blood clots in his lungs (More) > Netflix reportedly fires film chief Dan Lin five days after laying off roughly 1,000 employees (More) | Jon Stewart extends contract with Paramount to continue hosting “The Daily Show” through December 2028 (More) > Christiane Amanpour, CNN's chief international anchor, is leaving the network in June 2027 after 43 years; she did not give a reason for departing but revealed last October that she had resumed treatment for ovarian cancer (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 49 minutes ago Author Members Posted 49 minutes ago 👋 Good morning! The NBA is back, baby. And so is GeoSports. Quote du jour: 76ers sophomore guard VJ Edgecombe, 21, on playing alongside LeBron James, who turns 42 in December: "He's exactly old enough to be my dad, which is crazy. His son is older than me." In today's edition: Rays advance to World Series, NBA Opening Day, Niners improve to 6-0, Hurts out for season, Florida tops men's hoops poll, playoff expansion across sports, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🏀 Dream draw even: Angel Reese (30 pts, 16 reb) and the Dream dominated the Valkyries, 79-65, in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals to even the series and win the franchise's first Finals game (previously 0-10). They'll have the momentum when the action resumes Wednesday in Atlanta. 🏈 San Francisco stays perfect: The 49ers improved to 6-0 on Monday night with a 23-17 victory over the Commanders, who fell to 1-4-1 and added yet another loss to their miserable primetime record. The last time the Niners won their first six games in a season? 2019, when they made it all the way to the Super Bowl. 🚑 Hurts shut down: Eagles QB Jalen Hurts will reportedly miss the rest of the season after being diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis and multiple blood clots in his lungs. In other injury news: Rams WR Davante Adams will miss 6-10 weeks with a ruptured hamstring. ⚾️ Yankees stick with Boone: Despite speculation that the team would move on following its latest postseason exit, Aaron Boone will return as Yankees manager, per multiple reports. Boone is 790-565 (.583) with one World Series appearance in nine seasons at helm. 🏀 Beating the buzzer: Hornets forward Brandon Miller (5 years, $209M) and Thunder guard Cason Wallace (5 years, $139M) both signed rookie extensions on Monday, hours before the deadline for 2023 first-round picks to do so. ⚾️ WORLD SERIES A NEW CHAMPION WILL BE CROWNED (Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports) The top-seeded Rays beat the Guardians, 7-3, on Monday night in St. Petersburg to clinch their third trip to the World Series (2008, 2020), where they'll meet the top-seeded Brewers, who are making their second trip (1982). Are you not entertained? Save me the "small markets" narrative, will ya? These were the two best teams in their respective leagues over the course of 162 games, who then went a combined 14-3 in the playoffs to reach baseball's biggest stage. "But Kendall, the TV ratings might not break records!" Are you a Fox Sports executive? Why do you care? Stop being weird. History awaits: If "the two best teams all year" pitch isn't doing it for you, how about the guarantee that a new champion will be crowned? This will be just the third World Series since 1910 between teams that have never won a title. The only others: Cleveland Indians vs. Brooklyn Robins in 1920, and Phillies vs. Royals in 1980. Game 6 recap: Yandy Díaz, one day after calling his shot, delivers a no-doubt homer to help send the Rays to the World Series (Jordan Shusterman, Yahoo Sports) 🏀 OPENING NIGHT THE NBA'S TITLE TIERS (Mallory Bielecki/Yahoo Sports) The NBA is back! The regular season tips off today with a blockbuster tripleheader — a perfect way to get reacquainted with a league that's been reshaped since the Finals ended in June. Title tiers: For all the upheaval across the NBA, the championship race begins with two overwhelming favorites — and neither is the defending champ. According to the prediction and betting markets, the league's 30 teams fall into pretty distinct tiers: The favorites: The Thunder and Spurs (who meet in San Antonio tonight) are the clear teams to beat, combining for roughly 42% of the championship probability. The challengers: The 76ers and Knicks (who meet in New York tonight) are next, both in the high single-digits, followed by the Celtics and Timberwolves at roughly 5% apiece. The middle class: Eight teams are clustered around 2-3% apiece, while everyone else is below 2%. It's a crowded pack there, but one with a sizable gap to the top. Where's New York? Despite winning it all last season, the Knicks are much closer to the NBA's middle tier than to OKC or San Antonio. And that's a rarity: In the 42 seasons since 1985-86, only seven defending champions have entered the following season outside the Top 3 in title odds, according to SportsOddsHistory. Two of those cases involved Michael Jordan retiring from the Bulls (1993-94, 1998-99), and another saw Kawhi Leonard leave the Raptors in free agency (2019-20). The Knicks didn't suffer a comparable loss this offseason (sorry, Mitchell Robinson), but then again, the markets have never quite known what to make of this team. Meanwhile, parity reigns: The NBA is in an unprecedented stretch of championship parity, having crowned eight different champions in eight seasons. The previous record? Six straight from 1975-80. And the streak might not be finished yet. Despite the Thunder, Knicks and Celtics at or near the top of the odds, there's still a 56% chance that we get a ninth consecutive unique champion this season, based on the market's implied probabilities. Bottom line: The Knicks spent last season defying the odds, and they'll need to do it again to repeat. But in a league where nobody else has managed to win a second title during this eight-year stretch, perhaps the most fitting outcome would be New York proving the doubters (and the market) wrong once more. Season preview: Awards predictions Storylines to watch 🎧 On the pod: Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor is joined by Grant Liffmann of NBC Sports to break down the 12 biggest questions entering the season. The duo also spotlights breakout candidates and debates which stars are under the most pressure. 🏀 SETTING THE STAGE GATORS TOP PRESEASON POLL (Taylar Sievert/Yahoo Sports) Florida will start the men's college basketball season as the No. 1 team in the nation, sitting atop the preseason AP poll for the first time since 2006, when they were coming off the first of what ended up being back-to-back national championships. Continuity is key: Florida,* which received 47 of 59 first-place votes, returns a significant chunk of the roster that earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament last season and won the title a year earlier. That includes starters Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu, as well as Denzel Aberdeen, back with the Gators after a year at Kentucky.* No. 2 Duke (highest preseason ranking since 2017) and No. 3 Illinois (highest since 2001) — the only other teams to receive first-place votes — also returned large swaths of their rosters that reached the Elite Eight and Final Four, respectively. Rounding out the top five are No. 4 UConn and No. 5 Arizona.* The Huskies and Wildcats both made the Final Four this past April, and both return a pair of double-digit scorers from last season's squads. Where's Michigan? The Wolverines begin their title defense at No. 16 after their three best players — and head coach — left for the NBA. Dusty May, now leading the Mavericks, is one of a stunning 54 outgoing coaches across the D1 ranks. Conference call: The top-ranked Gators carry the flag for the SEC, which leads all conferences with seven teams in the Top 25. The rest hail from the Big 12 (6), Big Ten (5), ACC (4), Big East (2) and Pac-12 (1), which is represented by its newest member, Gonzaga. Others receiving votes: Missouri (167 votes) sits just outside the Top 25, followed by Nebraska (70), Purdue (53), Ohio State (39), North Carolina (20), TCU (17), Saint Louis (13), VCU (12), Iowa (12), Virginia Tech (10), Indiana (8), Texas A&M (6), Villanova (6), Auburn (4), Marquette (3), Nevada (2), Grand Canyon (2), Utah State (2) and Santa Clara (1). *Double duty: Florida, Kentucky and Arizona are three of the 12 schools whose men's basketball and football teams are currently ranked in the AP Top 25. The others: Miami, BYU, Texas Tech, UCLA, Tennessee, Alabama, Houston, USC and Texas. 📈 FALSE HOPE PLAYOFF EXPANSION: ACCESS IS OVERRATED The proposed CFP expansion to 24 teams has a lower approval rating than the Cracker Barrel rebrand. But college football is just following the lead of pro sports, where the NFL, NBA and MLB have expanded their playoff fields to keep more teams (and fanbases) invested late in the regular season by selling the possibility that "this could be the year." Yes, but: That promise has mostly proved hollow. While larger playoff fields have created more intrigue down the stretch, expanded postseason access has offered little credible hope of a championship. Consider this: NFL: No. 7 seeds have played 13 playoff games since the postseason expanded in 2020. They've won just once. NBA: A No. 10 seed has never advanced beyond the play-in round. No. 9 seeds have occasionally reached the first round but never won a series. MLB: Baseball's expansion has proven more worthwhile. Since the No. 6 seed was added in 2022, two have reached the World Series, though both came up short. On campus: CFP critics argue that expansion dilutes an already dramatic regular season, and that a 24-team postseason field will mostly benefit middling power-conference programs rather than true "underdogs" or "Cinderellas," much like the NCAA's equally unpopular 76-team basketball tournament might. This is an excerpt from Monday’s edition of Yahoo Sports Biz, our new sports business newsletter authored by Dylan Dittrich. Sign up here to get on the list. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: TUESDAY, OCT. 20 (Hassan Ahmad/Yahoo Sports) 🏀 NBA Opening Day Today's season-opening tripleheader on NBC is about as good as it gets. First up: Celtics at Pistons (3pm ET) in a matchup of last season's top two teams in the East. Then, LeBron James and the 76ers visit the defending champion Knicks (7pm), followed by a Western Conference Finals rematch between the Spurs and Thunder in San Antonio (9:30pm). Pricy tickets: The get-in price for tonight's game at Madison Square Garden, where the Knicks will raise their championship banner and receive their rings, is $1,693 (via Gametime), making it the most expensive regular-season game in NBA history. More to watch: ⚽️ Champions League: PSG vs. Barcelona (3pm, Paramount+) … This heavyweight clash, being held in Paris amid violent protests across France, headlines today's nine-game slate. 🏒 NHL: Bruins at Stars (8pm, ESPN); Lightning at Golden Knights (10:30pm, ESPN) … This quartet has combined to win their last 12 games. 🏀 NCAAM: UConn at Michigan State (7pm, BTN+); Tennessee at Duke (7pm, ESPN+) … Exhibitions featuring four teams ranked inside the preseason top eight. Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. 🌎 LET'S PLAY GEOSPORTS On Tuesdays, we play GeoSports. All questions are written by me. How to play: You'll be asked five questions that combine sports and geography. Tap the spot on the globe where you think the answer is. 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
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