Members phkrause Posted June 29, 2025 Author Members Posted June 29, 2025 ? Yahoo! It's Friday! You made it. In today's edition: Worst 81-game starts ever, pitch problems at Club World Cup, NBA draft in review, Wimbledon in photos, "F1 The Movie" hits theaters, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports… ? ICYMI headlineS ⚾️ Franco found guilty: Former Rays star Wander Franco was found guilty of sexual abuse of a minor and given a two-year suspended prison sentence, meaning he can remain free if he meets certain conditions. ? Tucker suspended: The NFL is suspending Justin Tucker for the first 10 weeks of the season following its investigation into accusations of sexual misconduct against the former Ravens kicker. ⚾️ MLB All-Star voting: Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani were named starters for next month's All-Star Game after leading their respective leagues in voting at the end of Phase 1. Full list of finalists. ⚽️ The Round of 16: Lionel Messi's Inter Miami, Champions League winners PSG, Real Madrid, Chelsea and Bayern Munich headline the Club World Cup knockout stage, which begins this weekend. ♠️ Poker scandal: The World Series of Poker is investigating after the winner and runner-up of a Millionaire Maker event were accused of colluding to earn a combined $2.3 million in prize money. ⚾️ MIDWAY POINT THE WORST 81-GAME STARTS IN MLB HISTORY (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) We're midway through the MLB season, and the Rockies are 18-63, making them just the fifth team in AL/NL history to win fewer than 19 of their first 81 games — and the first in 121 years. 2025 Colorado Rockies (18-63 through 81 games) This team seems stuck in an endless rebuild, last finishing above .500 in 2018. And with MLB's 18th-ranked farm system, and few if any veterans worth trading for prospects at the deadline, there isn't much hope of them getting better anytime soon. If the second half of their season goes the same as the first, they'll finish with by far the worst run differential (-426) and record (36-126) in modern MLB history* (since 1901). The 1888 Nationals at Boston's South End Grounds. (George H. Hastings/Library of Congress) 1886 Washington Nationals (13-68) This iteration of the Nationals, just one in a long line of teams bearing the same name, never quite escaped the lows of this wretched first season. They folded three years later, but remain an important part of baseball history: 1886 rookie catcher Connie Mack went on to become the winningest manager in MLB history and 1888 rookie outfielder William Hoy, who was deaf, pioneered baseball's use of hand signals. The 1889 Alleghenys, a year before their top players left for the Players' League. (Mark Rucker/Transcendental Graphics via Getty Images) 1890 Pittsburgh Alleghenys (18-63) Pittsburgh's roster was decimated in 1890 when many of its best players jumped ship for the short-lived Players' League. They got their roster back the following year when the PL folded and they even poached a star player from the A's in a controversial move that some called "piratical." It didn't take long for newspapers to give the team a new nickname that quickly became their official moniker: the Pirates. The 1898 Spiders, one year before they were gutted. (Cleveland Spiders) 1899 Cleveland Spiders (14-67) This team was historically awful, compiling a .130 winning percentage (20-134) and -723 run differential that are both by far the worst in MLB history. It's no mystery why this happened: After seven straight winning seasons led by their ace Cy Young, the Spiders' owners bought the St. Louis Browns (now the Cardinals) and brought all their best players there. Rather than disband the Spiders, they played one final season with the worst players from both teams. Walter Johnson before Opening Day of the 1916 season. (Bettman Archives/Getty Images) 1904 Washington Senators (18-63) "Washington: First in war, first in peace, and last in the American League." Those words, famously written by sportswriter Charles Dryden, summed up the franchise's early struggles, which reached a nadir in their abysmal 1904 season (38-113-6). They changed their name to the Nationals the following year, and their fortunes began turning in 1907 when a young Walter Johnson debuted. In 1961, they moved to Minnesota and became the Twins. *Who they're chasing: The 1932 Red Sox currently hold the record for worst modern run differential (-345), which is 81 runs better than the Rockies' pace. And last year's White Sox lost 121 games, five fewer than Colorado's current pace of 126. ? CLASS OF 2025 NBA DRAFT: IN REVIEW (Yahoo Sports) That's a wrap for the 2025 NBA Draft, which was well-represented internationally. ⚽️ FIELD OF PLAY CLUB WORLD CUP PITCHES DRAW CRITICISM A "Please Keep Off" sign at Lumen Field in Seattle. (Buda Mendes/Getty Images) Suboptimal grass fields at the Club World Cup are drawing heavy criticism from players and coaches. What does that mean for the 2026 World Cup? From Yahoo Sports' Henry Bushnell: "The pitches," Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham said, "aren't great." They've been "slow," according to multiple players, and "dry." From New Jersey to Seattle, grass fields in place for the Club World Cup have been "totally different" than the ones European teams are used to. On some, Bellingham said, the ball "holds up" and "barely bounces"; on another, PSG coach Luis Enrique said, it was "jumping around like a rabbit." At MetLife Stadium, Borussia Dortmund's Niklas Süle was blunt: "The pitch was pretty terrible." And no, they weren't making excuses. Bellingham and Enrique were speaking after victories. They were merely highlighting what Enrique called "an obvious problem," and one that looms over the 2026 World Cup. "Hopefully," Bellingham concluded, "someone will look at that going into the World Cup next year." Fortunately, scores of experts have been looking into it. And in fact, one reason for the suboptimal Club World Cup surfaces is that, in some cases, infrastructure installed specifically for 2026 isn't yet in use. ? THROUGH THE LENS IN PHOTOS: WIMBLEDON PREVIEW Lorenzo Musetti serves during a practice session. (Dan Istitene/Getty Images) The 138th Wimbledon Championships begin on Monday, where 256 men and women — drawn into their brackets earlier this morning — will compete for equal $4.1 million grand prizes. The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club from above. (Julian Finney/Getty Images) The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, which has hosted Wimbledon since the inaugural event in 1877, features 18 match courts and an additional 20 practice courts. But the tournament also relies on 34 qualifying courts and 16 extra practice courts at two nearby venues. A classic Wimbledon bouquet. (Adam Davy/PA Images via Getty Images) It’s no easy feat to grow and maintain the grass at all 88 of those courts — nor to embed and bloom the 28,000 plants that make this tournament as beautiful as it is iconic. It takes a team of 20 to ensure that "Day 14 [looks] as good as day one," the head gardener told The Athletic ($). Alcaraz during a practice session this week. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) On the men's side, the question will be if anyone can stop two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, who's won 18 straight matches. Eyes on the prize for Aryna. (Adam Davy/PA Images via Getty Images) And on the women's side, No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka will try to tame the only major she's never reached the finals in. She's finished as the runner-up in each of this year's first two majors. ? VIEWING GUIDE WEEKEND WATCHLIST The results of the NHL Draft Lottery back in May. (Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images) ? NHL Draft | Fri-Sat, ESPN/ESPN+ Round 1 is tonight in Los Angeles (7pm ET, ESPN), where the Islanders are likely to take OHL defenseman Matthew Schaefer with the first pick. Rounds 2-7 are on Saturday (11am, ESPN+). ⚽️ Club World Cup, Round of 16 | Sat-Sun, DAZN Lionel Messi has never faced one of his former clubs in an official match… until now, with Inter Miami and PSG meeting on Sunday in Atlanta (12pm, DAZN). Elsewhere: Palmeiras vs. Botafogo in Philly (Sat. 12pm), Benfica vs. Chelsea in Charlotte (Sat. 4pm) and Bayern Munich vs. Flamengo in Miami Gardens (Sun. 4pm). ⚽️ Gold Cup, Quarterfinals | Sat-Sun, Fox/FS1 The USMNT faces Costa Rica on Sunday night in Minneapolis (7pm, Fox) for a spot in the semifinals. The other matchups: Panama vs. Honduras (Sat. 7:15pm, Fox), Mexico vs. Saudi Arabia (Sat. 10:15pm, FS1) and Canada vs. Guatemala (Sun. 4pm, FS1). ? Fever at Wings | Fri. 7:30pm, ION Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers, who entered college together in 2020 and won three of the last five POY awards, meet for the first time in the WNBA. (Clark, who missed Thursday's game with a groin injury, is questionable.) More to watch: ⚽️ Friendly: USWNT vs. Ireland (Sun. 3pm, TNT) … The two sides meet again after the Americans shut out the Irish, 4-0, on Thursday. ⚾️ MLB: Cardinals at Guardians (Fri. 7pm, Apple); Mariners at Rangers (Sat. 4pm, FS1); Twins at Tigers (Sun. 7pm, ESPN) ⛳️ PGA: Rocket Classic (Fri-Sun, ESPN+/Golf/CBS) … Kevin Roy and Aldrich Potgieter (-10) both shot a course record 62 to take the lead in Detroit. ⛳️ LIV: Dallas (Fri-Sun, Fox/FS2) … At Maridoe Golf Club. ?️ F1: Austrian Grand Prix (Sun. 9am, ESPN) ? NASCAR: Atlanta (Sat. 7pm, TNT) … The inaugural In-Season Challenge begins. ? PLL: Week 5 (Fri-Sat, ESPN/ESPN+) … In San Diego. Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted June 30, 2025 Author Members Posted June 30, 2025 ⚾ Stat du jour Shohei Ohtani pitches during the second inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Miss., yesterday. Photo: Jay Biggerstaff/Getty Images Los Angeles Dodger Shohei Ohtani threw the fastest pitch of his MLB career yesterday. He launched a 101.7 mph fastball against the Kansas City Royals in his third start for the Dodgers. Ohtani pitched two innings, allowing one hit and one walk, in the game, which the Dodgers lost, 9–5, AP reports. Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted June 30, 2025 Author Members Posted June 30, 2025 ? Good morning! Short and sweet edition for you today. Programming note: We'll be off the rest of the week to recharge. Enjoy the fireworks! In today's edition: Long live the EBUG, Freese lifts USMNT to victory, Schaefer goes No. 1 overall, Wimbledon gets underway, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports… ? ICYMI headlineS ? NBA free agency: LeBron James picked up his $52.6M option with the Lakers; James Harden is returning to the Clippers (2 years, $81.5M); Julius Randle (3 years, $100M) and Naz Reid (5 years, $125M) are staying in Minnesota. See the latest updates. ⚽️ PSG routs Miami: PSG turned its showdown with Inter Miami into a beatdown, eliminating Lionel Messi's squad from the Club World Cup with a 4-0 victory. ? Beasley under investigation: Pistons guard Malik Beasley is being investigated by the U.S. District Attorney's office for allegedly gambling on NBA games during the 2023-24 season. ?️ McLaren go 1-2: McLaren's dominant season continued on Sunday, when Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri finished 1-2 at the Austrian Grand Prix to extend their lead atop the Constructors' standings. ? Clark, Collier named captains: Caitlin Clark and Napheesa Collier were named captains of this year's WNBA All-Star Game after earning the most fan votes. ? NHL RULEBOOK LONG LIVE THE EBUG Jett Alexander warms up prior to playing in 2023. Will he be the last EBUG? (Claus Andersen/Getty Images) The NHL is doing away with one of the quirkiest rules in sports: the emergency backup goaltender. What's happening: The league and players association agreed to a four-year extension to their CBA, which if ratified will kick in for the 2026-27 season. Nestled among the changes is that each team will have a full-time emergency backup goalie who doesn't count against their roster. Currently, because teams may only carry two active goaltenders, teams must have an amateur goalie at every home game, ready to be called into action at a moment's notice. These EBUGs — guys with hockey experience, but who probably came to the arena from an office job — are paid an hourly minimum for their time in the stands. If they do see the ice, their only additional payment is in the form of their game-worn jersey. Exclusive club: Since the NHL formalized the rule in 2015, just six EBUGs have gotten to live out every fan's dream of literally being called upon from the stands to play in a game. Jett Alexander (Apr. 8, 2023): The University of Toronto goalie played the final 70 seconds for the Maple Leafs against the Canadiens, facing zero shots. Matt Berlin (Jan. 28, 2023): The University of Alberta goalie played the final two minutes for the Oilers against the Blackhawks, saving the only shot he faced. Tom Hodges (Apr. 29, 2022): An insurance agent born in England, he started the third period for the Ducks against the Stars, saving two shots but also allowing the game-winner. David Ayres (Feb. 22, 2020): The 42-year-old Zamboni driver is the only EBUG to be credited with a win, saving eight of 10 shots for the Hurricanes against the Maple Leafs. Scott Foster (Mar. 29, 2018): It might have been tax season, but this accountant saved all seven shots he faced across 14 minutes of action for the Blackhawks against the Jets. Jorge Alves (Dec. 31, 2016): The Hurricanes' equipment manager faced zero shots in 7.6 seconds against the Lightning, giving him the shortest career in NHL history. Bottom line: The EBUG is an undeniably charming rule; a "lovely little reminder that this is a game, and once upon a time the rules were just something some guys made up as they went along," writes Defector's Barry Petchesky ($). It makes sense that the league wants to professionalize it — but that doesn't mean it won't be sad to see it go. ⚽️ GOLD CUP USMNT ADVANCES TO FINAL FOUR Matt Freese came up clutch on Sunday. (John Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images) The USMNT scraped past Costa Rica in Sunday's Gold Cup quarterfinal, winning 4-3 on penalties after a 2-2 draw. A star is born: Goalkeeper Matt Freese, in his first month as the starter, made three massive saves to one-up Costa Rican legend Keylor Navas and lift the Americans to victory. "Penalties are my thing. On the plane ride over here to Minnesota, I was studying penalties. I've been studying them all week and I was ready for it if we needed it." What's next: The U.S. will face Guatemala on Wednesday in St. Louis for a spot in Sunday's championship game, where they'd play the winner of Mexico vs. Honduras. Go deeper: Inside the USMNT's 'badass' win (Henry Bushnell, Yahoo Sports) ?? SNAPSHOTS PHOTOS ACROSS AMERICA No. 2 pick Michael Misa (L), No. 1 pick Matthew Schaefer and No. 3 pick Anton Frondell. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) Los Angeles — The Islanders selected Matthew Schaefer with the No. 1 pick in Friday's NHL draft, making the 17-year-old just the fifth defenseman this century to be drafted first overall. Check out all 224 picks. (Raj Mehta/Getty Images) Detroit — South Africa's Aldrich Potgieter, 20, won a three-man playoff at the Rocket Classic to become just the seventh golfer in the last four decades to win a PGA Tour event before turning 21. (Krista Jasso/Getty Images) Hampton, Georgia — A massive crash during the 69th lap of Saturday's NASCAR race caused a 23-car pileup, throwing the Cup Series' inaugural "In-Season Challenge" into disarray. ? VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: MONDAY, JUNE 30 Erling Haaland and Manchester City will look to keep their perfect Club World Cup record intact. (Alex Grimm/Getty Images) ⚽️ Club World Cup, Round of 16 | DAZN/TBS Two more quarterfinalists will be determined today. Inter Milan plays Brazil's Fluminense in Charlotte (3pm ET, DAZN), followed by Manchester City vs. Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal in Orlando (9pm, TBS). More to watch: ⚾️ MLB: Giants at Diamondbacks (9:40pm, FS1) … Logan Webb (7-5, 2.52 ERA) vs. Ryne Nelson (4-2, 3.71 ERA). ? Wimbledon: Day 1 (6am, ESPN/ESPN+) … Aryna Sabalenka (8am) and Carlos Alcaraz (8:30am) are among those in action today. Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted July 1, 2025 Author Members Posted July 1, 2025 ? WNBA adds 3 new teams A'ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces drives to the basket during a game against the Phoenix Mercury yesterday. Photo: Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images The WNBA will expand to three more cities — Philadelphia, Detroit and Cleveland — by 2030, bringing the rapidly growing league's total team count to 18, Axios' Herb Scribner reports. "The demand for women's basketball has never been higher," WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement. ? The league inked an 11-year media rights deal with Disney, Amazon Prime and NBC in July 2024, valuing the live rights at $200 million per year. That's about four times more valuable than its previous deal. Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted July 2, 2025 Author Members Posted July 2, 2025 > NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander signs four-year, $285M contract extension with the Oklahoma City Thunder, the highest annual salary in NBA history (More) | FIFA Club World Cup quarterfinal is set; see latest bracket (More) Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted July 5, 2025 Author Members Posted July 5, 2025 Joey Chestnut reclaims title in Nathan’s Famous hot dog eating contest, wins 17th Mustard Belt Famed competitive eater Joey “Jaws” Chestnut reclaimed his title Friday at the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest after skipping last year’s gastronomic battle in New York for the coveted Mustard Belt. https://apnews.com/article/nathans-hot-dog-contest-joey-chestnut-2bf7e4c6e05da82e74d86421006d55a9? Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted July 7, 2025 Author Members Posted July 7, 2025 > Mexico tops Team USA 2-1 to win their second straight Concacaf Gold Cup and 10th overall (More) | Liverpool and Portugal soccer star Diogo Jota dies at 28 along with his brother in single-car crash in Spain (More) > Joey Chestnut eats 70.5 hot dogs and buns to win his 17th Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest; Miki Sudo eats 33 to win her 11th women's title (More) > "Jurassic World Rebirth" hauls in $318M at the global box office in its opening weekend as "Lilo & Stitch" crosses $972M in its seven-week run (More) | Julian McMahon, actor known for starring roles in "Nip/Tuck" and "Fantastic Four," dies of cancer at 56 (More) Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted July 8, 2025 Author Members Posted July 8, 2025 ? Good morning! Hope you had an awesome Fourth of July. Feels good to be back. Strange streak: The Pirates are the first team in MLB history to win three straight games via shutout… then lose three straight games via shutout immediately after. In today's edition: Mexico wins Gold Cup, MLB All-Stars, Wimbledon Round of 16, seven-team trade, Baker's Dozen, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports… ? ICYMI headlineS ⚽️ Final Four: Real Madrid (Spain), Paris Saint-Germain (France), Chelsea (England) and Fluminense (Brazil) are the last teams standing at the Club World Cup. ⚾️ Nats clean house: The last-place Nationals fired GM Mike Rizzo and manager Davey Martinez on Sunday, parting ways with the architect of their 2019 title-winning team and their longest-tenured manager (eight years) since moving to D.C. in 2005. ? WNBA All-Stars: The 10 starters and 12 reserves have been announced for this month's WNBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis. For the first time since 2011, three rookies (Paige Bueckers, Sonia Citron, Kiki Iriafen) will play in the game. ⚾️ Gambling investigation: Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz has been placed on paid leave while MLB investigates potentially illegal gambling activity. Two recent pitches he threw were flagged as suspicious by a betting integrity firm. ? CP3's last dance: Chris Paul, 40, says he would play "at the most, a year" more in the NBA. The 12-time All-Star is currently an unrestricted free agent. ⚽️ GOLD CUP FINAL MEXICO 2, USA 1 (Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images) Mexico beat the USMNT, 2-1, on Sunday in Houston to repeat as Gold Cup champions and snap a six-game losing streak to the Americans in official matches. Match recap: Chris Richards scored almost immediately to open the scoring for the U.S., which led for 23 fleeting minutes. From then on, it was pretty much all Mexico, which dominated possession (60-40) and corner kicks (12-0) as their "A" team outclassed and overpowered what was essentially America's "B-minus" team. Controversial calls: Manager Mauricio Pochettino and USMNT players sharply criticized the refereeing after the match. They felt they should have had a penalty on a handball that wasn't called and that Mexico's winning goal should have been disallowed for offside. "Homie palmed the ball like Shaq in the box. And then on the other end … in any other league, it would've been called offsides. But again, that's CONCACAF for you. They hate us." — Richards The U.S. starting XI prior to Sunday's final. (John Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images) Tournament rewind: From Yahoo Sports' Henry Bushnell: Less than four weeks ago, the Americans were reeling. Half their A-team was missing. The other half headlined a depleted, makeshift, MLS-heavy squad, which arrived at the Gold Cup hounded by critics. After a 4-0 capitulation to Switzerland, their fourth straight loss, "everyone basically counted us out," defender Tim Ream later said. In reality, they were still the second-favorites; but among a disillusioned fan base, and among former players, doubts rippled. In the sanctity of locker rooms and meal rooms, though, on flights and training fields, throughout their last true tournament before the 2026 World Cup, they jelled. "We have become a family," goalkeeper Matt Freese said on the eve of the final. And together, they strolled through Group D. They scraped past Costa Rica in a quarterfinal shootout. They survived a Guatemalan scare in the semis. They never wowed with their soccer, but they won back a skeptical public. Over 3 million people tuned into their quarterfinal, and didn't see Christian Pulisic or Weston McKennie; but did see Diego Luna and a group of likable underdogs who, as Pochettino said, were "desperate" to "fight for our flag, for our shirt." They came to Houston with some expectations already met. Their problem, though, was that they came with second-place talent. The countdown begins: The USMNT's next official match will be on June 12, 2026 (340 days from now) when they play their World Cup opener at SoFi Stadium. ⚾️ MIDSUMMER CLASSIC MLB ALL-STARS: ROSTERS ANNOUNCED (Yahoo Sports) The 2025 MLB All-Stars have been announced, with 65 players set to represent their leagues next week in Atlanta. That includes 19 first-timers and 11-time All-Star Clayton Kershaw, who was selected by the commissioner as a "Legend Pick" days after he joined the 3,000-strikeout club. National League: No team in either league is better represented than the Dodgers, who are sending five players to the Midsummer Classic (Kershaw, Shohei Ohtani, Will Smith, Freddie Freeman, Yoshinobu Yamamoto). Six teams are sending three players (Braves, Cubs, Diamondbacks, Giants, Mets, Padres) and two are sending two (Phillies, Nationals). Six teams will have just one representative in Atlanta, the minimum required by the league (Brewers, Cardinals, Marlins, Pirates, Reds, Rockies). Biggest snubs: It's baffling that Juan Soto won't be an All-Star unless called upon as an injury replacement. Even with his uncharacteristically slow start, he's top 10 in the NL in WAR (3.7), OPS (.904), HR (21) and runs (65). Ditto for Trea Turner, who leads the league in hits, and Seiya Suzuki, who leads all of baseball in RBIs. (Yahoo Sports) American League: The Mariners (Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodríguez, Andrés Muñoz, Bryan Woo) and Tigers (Tarik Skubal, Riley Greene, Javier Báez, Gleyber Torres) lead the way with four players each. A trio of teams are sending three players (Astros, Red Sox, Yankees), while five more are sending two each (Athletics, Blue Jays, Guardians, Rays, Royals). That leaves five teams with the requisite one All-Star (Angels, Orioles, Rangers, Twins, White Sox). Biggest snubs: How about four-time All-Star George Springer, enjoying his best season in at least three years and powering the Blue Jays to the top of the AL East? Or Astros lefty Framber Valdez (10-4, 2.90 ERA), Angels slugger Jo Adell (19 HR, .823 OPS) or Twins closer Jhoan Duran (13 saves, 1.56 ERA). ?? SNAPSHOTS PHOTOS ACROSS AMERICA Fans at Coors Field watch the fireworks on July 4th. (Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) Denver — All 30 MLB teams played on the Fourth of July for the third straight year as the league looks to plant its flag on the holiday like the NBA and NFL do with Christmas and Thanksgiving. "There's an opportunity for baseball to own that day," says commissioner Rob Manfred. (Pedro Castillo/Real Madrid via Getty Images) East Rutherford, N.J. — Kylian Mbappé's spectacular scissor-kick goal in stoppage time helped lead Real Madrid past Borussia Dortmund and into the Club World Cup semifinals. Next up: His former team, PSG, which knocked off Bayern Munich. Cars navigate one of the 12 turns on the Chicago Street Course. (James Gilbert/Getty Images) Chicago — Shane van Gisbergen won the third annual Chicago Street Race on Sunday, driving 75 laps through the city's temporary downtown circuit in what is NASCAR's only street race. (Adam Gray/Getty Images) New York — Joey "Jaws" Chestnut made a triumphant return to the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, winning his 17th Mustard Belt by eating 70.5 hot dogs (and buns) in 10 minutes. Fun hypothetical: Eat a hot dog. Run 100 meters. Joey Chestnut vs. Usain Bolt. Who wins? The PGA Tour posed this oddly fascinating question over the weekend to some of its players, who mostly agreed that the race is Chestnut's to lose. ? SNAPSHOTS PHOTOS AROUND THE WORLD (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) London — Novak Djokovic earned his 100th career Wimbledon victory on Saturday, joining Martina Navratilova and Roger Federer as the only players to reach the century mark at the All England Club. No. 11 Alex de Minaur awaits in the Round of 16. Meanwhile, on the women's side: No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka fought off No. 24 Elise Mertens on Sunday to reach her 11th consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal. The peloton rides in the countryside during Stage 2. (Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP via Getty Images) Lauwin-Planque, France — The 112th Tour de France began on Saturday in Lille, kicking off a 21-stage race to Paris that, for the first time since 2020, will take place entirely within France. Keira Walsh (L), Lucy Bronze and Leah Williamson look dejected after defeat. (Harriet Lander/The FA via Getty Images) Zurich, Switzerland — England's title defense got off to a rocky start on Saturday at Women's Euro 2025, where a 2-1 loss to France made the Lionesses the first reigning champion to drop their opener. (Clive Rose/Getty Images) Northampton, England — Kick Sauber's Nico Hülkenberg finally got the monkey off his back at the British Grand Prix, earning his first podium (third place) after 239 Formula 1 starts — by far the most ever at the time of an inaugural podium. ? STATS DU JOUR BY THE NUMBERS (Yahoo Sports) ? 7 teams The June trade between the Rockets and Suns for Kevin Durant became official on Sunday and now includes the Hawks, Nets, Warriors, Lakers and Timberwolves, making it the first seven-team trade in NBA history. ? 27 of 64 Of the 64 seeded players at Wimbledon, only 27 (14 women, 13 men) made it to the third round. That's the fewest at a Grand Slam since the 32-seed format was first adopted in 2001. ⚾️ 35 HR Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh has the third-highest home run total before the All-Star break in MLB history — and he still has six games to add to his tally. The only players with more? Barry Bonds in 2001 (39), Chris Davis in 2013, Mark McGwire in 1998, Reggie Jackson in 1969 and Luis Gonzalez in 2001 (each with 37). ? 19-year wait EA Sports delighted video-game fans last July with the release of "College Football 25." Now, the company plans to bring back its college basketball franchise in 2028, ending a 19-year hiatus. "NCAA March Madness" was an annual staple in the late 1990s and early 2000s before being discontinued after the 2009 edition. ? VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: MONDAY, JULY 7 Emma Navarro celebrates with supporters. (Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images) ? Wimbledon, Round of 16 | ESPN/ESPN2/ESPN+ Taylor Fritz and Amanda Anisimova are already in the quarterfinals. Will fellow Americans Ben Shelton and Emma Navarro join them there? Men: Marin Čilić vs. No. 22 Flavio Cobolli (6am ET); No. 6 Novak Djokovic vs. No. 11 Alex de Minaur (8:30am); No. 10 Ben Shelton vs. Lorenzo Sonego (9:10am); No. 1 Jannik Sinner vs. No. 19 Grigor Dimitrov (11:20am) Women: No. 18 Ekaterina Alexandrova vs. Belinda Bencic (8am); No. 19 Luidmila Samsonova vs. Jessica Bouzas Maneiro (8:05am); No. 7 Mirra Andreeva vs. No. 10 Emma Navarro (10:10am); No. 8 Iga Świątek vs. No. 23 Clara Tauson (10:50am) More to watch: ? Tour de France: Stage 3 (7am, Peacock) … The third stage takes riders across gently rolling terrain from Valenciennes to Dunkirk. ? NBA Summer League: Thunder at 76ers (7pm, ESPN); Grizzlies at Jazz (9pm, NBA) … In Salt Lake City. ⚽️ Women's Euros: Spain vs. Belgium (12pm, FS1); Portugal vs. Italy (3pm, Fox) … Group B action in Switzerland. ⚾️ MLB: Rays at Tigers (6:40pm, FS1) … Detroit (57-34) hosts Tampa Bay (49-41) in a battle of AL contenders. Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted July 8, 2025 Author Members Posted July 8, 2025 Wimbledon blames human error for a mistake by the tech that replaced officials. Here’s what happened The All England Club is blaming “human error” for a glaring mistake by the electronic system that replaced human line judges this year at Wimbledon. Read More. > 2025 FIFA Club World Cup semifinals kick off with Fluminense taking on Chelsea tonight (3 pm ET, DAZN) and Paris Saint-Germain pitted against Real Madrid tomorrow (3 pm ET, DAZN) (More) > Brad Pitt's "F1" nears $300M at global box office, becoming highest-grossing Apple-produced theatrical film ever (More) > 2025 Wimbledon quarterfinals begin today; see updated scores, schedule, and brackets for women's and men's tournaments (More) Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted July 9, 2025 Author Members Posted July 9, 2025 ? Good morning! It's a great day to have a great day. In today's edition: The NFL's All-Quarter Century team, Kershaw joins 3K strikeouts club, Machado joins 2K hits club, photo finish and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports… ? ICYMI headlineS ? Wimbledon update: Novak Djokovic reached his 63rd Grand Slam quarterfinal, Ben Shelton reached his first Wimbledon quarterfinal, Jannik Sinner avoided the upset when Grigor Dimitrov was forced to retire due to injury and 18-year-old Mirra Andreeva became the youngest Wimbledon women's quarterfinalist since Maria Sharapova in 2005. ⚾️ Alonso declines invite: For the first time in his career, Mets slugger Pete Alonso will not participate in the Home Run Derby, which he's won twice. The four confirmed participants so far: Cal Raleigh, Ronald Acuña Jr., James Wood and Byron Buxton. ? 3-team trade: The Clippers, Jazz and Heat pulled off a three-team trade that will send Norman Powell to Miami, John Collins to L.A. and Kevin Love and Kyle Anderson to Utah. Grading the trade. ? Heartbreak for Philipsen: Belgium's Jasper Philipsen is out of the Tour de France after a crash left him with a broken collarbone and rib. The 27-year-old sprint favorite won Stage 1 just two days earlier. ? Banchero gets paid: The Magic signed young star Paolo Banchero to a five-year max extension that could be worth as much as $287 million. ? 2000-2025 THE NFL ALL-QUARTER CENTURY TEAM (Davis Long/Yahoo Sports) Which players make up the NFL's All-Quarter Century Team? Yahoo Sports' Frank Schwab put together his squad. Only the 2000-2024 seasons were considered. Offense Quarterback: Tom Brady (biggest snubs: Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, Drew Brees) Running backs: LaDainian Tomlinson, Adrian Peterson (Derrick Henry, Frank Gore, Christian McCaffrey, Marshawn Lynch, Clinton Portis) Wide receivers: Randy Moss, Calvin Johnson, Terrell Owens (Larry Fitzgerald, Antonio Brown, Julio Jones, Justin Jefferson, Ja'Marr Chase, Tyreek Hill) Tight end: Rob Gronkowski (Travis Kelce, Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates, George Kittle, Jason Witten) Offensive tackles: Trent Williams, Walter Jones (Joe Thomas, Jason Peters, Jonathan Ogden, Tyron Smith, Lane Johnson, Orlando Pace) Guards: Zack Martin, Alan Faneca (Marshal Yanda, Steve Hutchinson, Quenton Nelson) Center: Jason Kelce (Maurkice Pouncey, Nick Mangold, Kevin Mawae) Defense Defensive linemen: Aaron Donald, J.J. Watt, Warren Sapp (Geno Atkins, Cameron Heyward, Calais Campbell, Kevin Williams, Ndamukong Suh) Edge rushers: Myles Garrett, T.J. Watt (Julius Peppers, Von Miller, Terrell Suggs, DeMarcus Ware, Jared Allen, Jason Taylor) Linebackers: Ray Lewis, Luke Kuechly (Patrick Willis, Bobby Wagner, NaVorro Bowman, Derrick Brooks, Brian Urlacher) Cornerbacks: Darrell Revis, Champ Bailey, Charles Woodson (Ronde Barber, Patrick Peterson, Richard Sherman, Jalen Ramsey) Safeties: Ed Reed, Troy Polamalu (Brian Dawkins, Earl Thomas, John Lynch) Special Teams Kicker: Justin Tucker (Adam Vinatieri, David Akers) Punter: Shane Lechler (Johnny Hekker) Kick returner: Devin Hester (None) Food for thought: Which of these players are most likely to hang onto their spots when the All-Half Century Team (2000-2050) comes out 25 years from now? Which players are most likely to get booted? ⚾️ MLB MILESTONE KERSHAW: THE LAST MEMBER OF THE 3K STRIKEOUT CLUB? (Davis Long/Yahoo Sports) At long last, Clayton Kershaw reached the mountaintop, striking out his 3,000th batter last week to become the 20th member of a club so exclusive it may soon stop accepting new members. By the numbers: Kershaw, 37, is just the fourth lefty with 3,000 punch outs (Randy Johnson, Steve Carlton, C.C. Sabathia) and the third to play his entire career with one team (Walter Johnson, Bob Gibson). He also joins Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander as the only active members of the club. The road to 3,000: The Dodgers' 2006 first-rounder didn't dominate right away, pitching to a 4.26 ERA as a rookie in 2008. But he did strike out the first batter he ever faced, fanning future Marlins manager Skip Schumaker while donning his No. 54 jersey — an odd relic of the past that he wore only for his debut before switching to the now-familiar No. 22. His 1,000th strikeout came in his sixth season at age 25, the same year he won his second Cy Young. Now fully in his prime, his pace quickened, reaching 2,000 just four years later at age 29. 10 years, 2,000 strikeouts, three Cy Youngs and an MVP. A generational superstar. But nothing lasts forever, and reaching 3,000 was a grind. The numbers remained elite but the pace slowed as 3,000 transitioned from "when" to "if" over eight injury-marred seasons. He got there, of course, but it's surprising that it ever became a question. Looking ahead: Due to the status quo of pitchers in MLB's modern era, with innings decreasing and injuries on the rise, Kershaw's accomplishment begs the question: Will the 3,000-strikeout club ever welcome a new member? Chris Sale (2,528 strikeouts) and Gerrit Cole (2,251) are the closest active pitchers. They're also both in their mid-30s and currently on the IL with the types of injuries that pretty much every strikeout merchant can expect to sustain at some point. Throwing that hard for that long unfortunately has consequences. It's exciting to imagine 28-year-old Tarik Skubal (796 strikeouts) and 23-year-old Paul Skenes (295) dominating for the next 10-15 years. Maybe they will. Maybe the injury bug will never bite them. Maybe. The last word: "Being an elite starting pitcher is taxing. Remaining an elite starting pitcher is a miracle," writes the Washington Post's Chelsea Janes ($). Clayton Kershaw is a miracle. Only time will tell if he's the last of his kind. ? STATS DU JOUR BY THE NUMBERS (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images) ? Year 20 Kyle Lowry has agreed to a one-year deal to return to the 76ers for his 20th NBA season. Only 11 players have played 20+ seasons in the league: Vince Carter (22), LeBron James (22), Kevin Garnett (21), Dirk Nowitzki (21), Robert Parish (21), Kevin Willis (21), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (20), Kobe Bryant (20), Jamal Crawford (20), Udonis Haslem (20) and Chris Paul (20). ⚾️ 9 straight The Blue Jays (53-38) have surged to the top of the AL East amid a nine-game winning streak, their longest since 2015. ? 22 years old Ben Shelton, 22, is the youngest American man to reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals since Andy Roddick in 2004. "I wasn't really playing tennis yet when [Andy] was still playing," said the world No. 10. "Obviously seen a ton of tape now. … It's pretty cool to be mentioned in the same sentence as him." ? 18.5 wins The Jazz opened with the NBA's lowest Over/Under for the 2025-26 season at 18.5 wins. That's the lowest for any team since the 2014-15 76ers (16). ? NEW TECH WIMBLEDON GOES ELECTRIC Fans dressed as line judges protesting the use of ELC at Wimbledon. (Hannah Peters/Getty Images) For the first time in Wimbledon's 148-year history, line judges have been replaced by Electronic Line Calling. As you might imagine for an event so steeped in tradition, not everyone is thrilled with the change. A new era: The All England Club now employs the same Hawk-Eye technology seen across modern sports. 300 line judges have been reduced to 80 "match assistants," and the ELC — powered by 12 cameras per court — calls "out," "fault" and "foot fault" in real time. Well, as long as the system is actually turned on… Pavlyuchenkova goes to return a ball that is obviously out, which ELC missed. (Screengrab) Whoops: On Sunday, the ELC was accidentally deactivated during a match between Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Sonay Kartal. The snafu led to an egregious missed call that cost Pavlyuchenkova the game. In the end, she rebounded to win the set and match, and Wimbledon later apologized and made changes to ensure such "operator error" couldn't happen again. But in the moment, Pavlyuchenkova felt the game was stolen from her, adding to the wider doubt regarding ELC's efficacy. What they're saying: "I don't think it's 100 percent accurate," said England's Jack Draper after his second-round upset loss. "It's kind of disappointing … that the calls can be so wrong," added Draper's countrywoman Emma Raducanu, also after a loss. Some have also complained that the calls are too quiet to hear amid the din of the crowd, notes The Athletic ($). But many are in favor of the technology, which is generally more reliable than the human eye, and All England Club chair Debbie Jevans hit back at Draper and Raducanu's complaints. "It's funny," Jevans said, "because when we did have linesmen, we were constantly asked why we didn't have [ELC] because it's more accurate than the rest of the tour." Zoom out: Wimbledon was late to ELC, which has featured at the U.S. Open and Australian Open since 2021 and is used at every ATP event. The French Open, whose red clay makes it easier to check ball marks, is the only Grand Slam still using line judges — but it's probably only a matter of time before that changes, too. Looking ahead: Technology-assisted automation is on the rise across sports. Hawk-Eye is replacing chain gangs to measure first downs in the NFL beginning this fall, and it will soon come to MLB in the form of robo-umps and is being tested in the NBA to detect goaltending. So fans and players alike would be wise to prepare for it to become a normal part of the game; and, like at Wimbledon, for it to have a somewhat rocky start. ? VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: TUESDAY, JULY 8 Carlitos has won 22 straight matches overall and 18 straight at Wimbledon. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) ? Wimbledon, Quarterfinals | ESPN/ESPN2/ESPN+ The last eight gets underway today at the All England Club: No. 5 Taylor Fritz vs. No. 17 Karen Khachanov (8am) and No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz vs. Cameron Norrie (9:40am) for the men; No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka vs. Laura Siegemund (8:30am) and No. 13 Amanda Anisimova vs. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (9:40am) for the women. ⚽️ Chelsea vs. Fluminense | 3pm ET, TNT The British giants take on the surprisingly still-standing Brazilians in the Club World Cup semifinals at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium. Tickets are going for as low as $13.40 after FIFA slashed prices. ⚾️ Dodgers at Brewers | 7:40pm, TBS It's the old generation vs. the new in Milwaukee: Clayton Kershaw takes the bump for the first time since joining the 3,000-strikeout club, while young fireballer Jacob Misiorowski looks to bounce back from his first poor outing after going 3-0 with 3 hits allowed in his first three starts. More to watch: ⚽️ U.S. Open Cup: Minnesota United vs. Chicago Fire (8pm, CBSSN); San Jose Earthquakes vs. Austin FC (10:30pm, Paramount+) … Quarterfinals. ⚽️ Women's Euros: Germany vs. Denmark (12pm, FS1); Poland vs. Sweden (3pm, Fox) … Group C action in Switzerland. ? WNBA: Aces at Liberty (8pm, ESPN) … Rematch of the 2023 Finals. ? Tour de France: Stage 4 (7:15am, Peacock) … The fourth stage covers 108 miles from Amiens to Rouen, and features five categorized climbs. Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted July 10, 2025 Author Members Posted July 10, 2025 Speedy serves Men’s and women’s tennis pros are serving faster than ever before, reaching speeds that were once thought to be impossible. Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard unleashed a 153 mph rocket at Wimbledon this year. Here’s how they do it. > Former world boxing champ Julio César Chávez Jr. misses court date for 2024 gun charges, lawyer is unaware of his whereabouts; Chávez was detained by ICE last week and was due to be deported to Mexico (More) > NHL regular season to expand from 82 to 84 games beginning with 2026-27 season as part of new collective bargaining agreement between the league and the players association (More) > Sean "Diddy" Combs to be sentenced Oct. 3; Combs will remain in jail as he awaits sentencing for prostitution charges (More) | Former "Tiger King" star Bhagavan “Doc” Antle sentenced to a year in prison for trafficking in exotic animals (More) Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted July 11, 2025 Author Members Posted July 11, 2025 ? Good morning! Happy Hump Day. In today's edition: College football's new world order, Americans advance in London, inside-the-park homers, best NFL draft picks of the century, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports… ? ICYMI headlineS ?️ Red Bull fires Horner: Red Bull Racing has fired team principal and CEO Christian Horner after two decades in charge. This comes amid a turbulent season that could ultimately lead to the departure of four-time reigning F1 champion Max Verstappen. ⚽️ Chelsea advances: Chelsea beat Fluminense, 2-0, to reach the Club World Cup final behind a pair of goals from João Pedro, a Brazilian striker they signed last week. His childhood club? Fluminense. ⚾️ Immaculate inning: Orioles rookie Brandon Young threw the 119th immaculate inning in MLB history, striking out three Mets on nine pitches in the fifth inning at Camden Yards. ? Cover athlete: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will grace the cover of NBA 2K26, continuing quite the run for the reigning MVP and NBA champion, who also just signed a $285 million extension. ⚾️ Cruz joins the derby: Pirates slugger Oneil Cruz joined the stacked Home Run Derby field, bringing his 100th percentile rankings in bat speed, average exit velocity, barrel rate and hard-hit percentage to next week's competition in Atlanta. ? NEW WORLD ORDER BIG 12 COACHES: "WE DON'T KNOW THE RULES" (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) The Big 12 kicked off three weeks of conference football media days on Tuesday. The headline: Confusion and complaints about the revenue sharing era, which began last week with the implementation of the NCAA's historic House settlement. From Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger: Within a small booth three stories above the practice field of the Cowboys, Kenny Dillingham crosses his legs, leans back in a swivel chair and details exactly what's happening across the current college football recruiting landscape. "We don't know the rules," the Arizona State head coach says. "The settlement passed, but who knows what Deloitte is going to clear. Until there is clarity, you're living in limbo." And there's something else. "You are seeing a lot of people lie and promise fake things," he says. A similar theme emerged from the eight head coaches here Tuesday, one likely shared by the eight others who get their turn Wednesday: The Wild West, they say, remains wild. The finger pointing has already begun. Schools are making big enough contract offers to recruits that they cannot possibly remain under college football's new compensation cap, some coaches believe. Others are guaranteeing third-party NIL deals as part of the total compensation package to athletes — something against new revenue-share rules. A few are doling out cash from their collectives to high school players in an attempt to induce their commitment — also against new rules. And those schools rich enough to have front-loaded millions of dollars in the spring to compensate this year's roster — while perfectly within the rules — now hold an advantage in building next year's roster. "I don't understand what rules everybody is playing by," Cincinnati head coach Scott Satterfield says. "The whole point of this was for us all to be playing by the same rules, but we are not." Meanwhile, the newly minted entities charged with enforcing these policies, the College Sports Commission and its Deloitte-run NIL clearinghouse, are bogged down in legalities tethered to the settlement, those familiar with the process tell Yahoo Sports. ? WIMBLEDON AMERICANS PREVAIL IN LONDON Fritz celebrates his quarterfinal victory. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) No American woman has won Wimbledon since 2016 and no American man has won a Grand Slam since 2003. Could both droughts end this week? Survive and advance: No. 5 Taylor Fritz defeated No. 17 Karen Khachanov and No. 13 Amanda Anisimova took down Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on Tuesday to advance to their first Wimbledon semifinals. Fritz is the first American man to reach the semis here since John Isner in 2018, and he joins Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton — who can also reach the semis if he upsets Jannik Sinner today — as the only active American men to make two Grand Slam semifinals. Anisimova was once a phenom who reached the 2019 French Open semifinals at age 17, but she's struggled since then and took a long mental health break two years ago. Now at age 23, she's the first American woman to reach the Wimbledon semis since Serena Williams in 2019. Up next: Both players have their work cut out for them. Fritz's semifinal will come against No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, who cruised past Cameron Norrie to extend his win streak to 23 matches,* while Anisimova will take on No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who fought back to beat Laura Siegemund and reach her fourth straight major semifinal. *Historic streak: Alcaraz is now tied for the sixth-longest win streak by a man this century, trailing only Novak Djokovic (43 straight in 2010-11), Roger Federer (41 in 2006-07), Rafael Nadal (32 in 2008), Andy Murray (28 in 2016-17) and Jannik Sinner (26 in 2024-25). ? 2000-2025 BEST 25 DRAFT PICKS OF THE QUARTER CENTURY (Mallory Bielecki/Yahoo Sports) Yahoo Sports' Frank Schwab is spending this week looking back at the NFL's last 25 years. Yesterday was the All-Quarter Century Team; today, he picks the best 25 draft picks since 2000. Best 25 draft picks of the century: "A great pick can be a bit of luck," Frank writes, "but it can also happen due to conviction when the rest of the world thought it was the wrong move." With that, here are the best picks so far this century: Tom Brady, Patriots (2000, 6th round, 199th overall) Brock Purdy, 49ers (2022, 7th round, 262nd overall) Jalen Hurts, Eagles (2020, 2nd round, 53rd overall) Aaron Rodgers, Packers (2005, 1st round, 24th overall) Antonio Brown, Steelers (2010, 6th round, 195th overall) Puka Nacua, Rams (2023, 5th round, 177th overall) Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs (2017, 1st round, 10th overall) Lamar Jackson, Ravens (2018, 1st round, 32nd overall) Jason Kelce, Eagles (2011, 6th round, 191st overall) Richard Sherman, Seahawks (2011, 5th round, 154th overall) Rob Gronkowski, Patriots (2010, 2nd round, 42nd overall) Devin Hester, Bears (2006, 2nd round, 57th overall) Russell Wilson, Seahawks (2012, 3rd round, 75th overall) George Kittle, 49ers (2017, 5th round, 146th overall) Travis Kelce, Chiefs (2013, 3rd round, 63rd overall) Josh Allen, Bills (2018, 1st round, 7th overall) Aaron Donald, Rams (2014, 1st round, 13th overall) Justin Jefferson, Vikings (2020, 1st round, 22nd overall) Dak Prescott, Cowboys (2016, 4th round, 135th overall) Maxx Crosby, Raiders (2019, 4th round, 106th overall) Tyreek Hill, Chiefs (2016, 5th round, 165th overall) Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions (2021, 4th round, 112th overall) Julio Jones, Falcons (2011, 1st round, 6th overall) Kirk Cousins, Washington (2012, 4th round, 102nd overall) Bo Nix, Broncos (2024, 1st round, 12th overall) The other side: Not to be mean, but the worst draft pick of the century might be as obvious as Brady being the best. In 2007, the Raiders took LSU QB JaMarcus Russell at No. 1 overall. He played 31 games, threw more interceptions (23) than touchdowns (18), and was out of the league by 2010. ⚾️ ROUND THE BASES INSIDE-THE-PARK HR FRENZY Bailey celebrates with his teammates after beating the Phillies. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) The humble yet thrilling inside-the-park home run had itself quite a night on Tuesday: For the first time in MLB history, there was both a leadoff and walk-off inside-the-parker on the same day. Leadoff: In Sacramento, A's right fielder Lawrence Butler led off with an inside-the-park homer against the Braves (and added a traditional bomb later in the game). Walk-off: In nearby San Francisco, Giants backstop Patrick Bailey belted the first inside-the-park walk-off home run by a catcher in 99 years. The last man to do it? Washington's Bennie Tate on Aug. 11, 1926. ? VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: WEDNESDAY, JULY 9 (Image Photo Agency/Getty Images) ⚽️ PSG vs. Real Madrid | 3pm ET, DAZN Off the field, Kylian Mbappé has dropped his legal case against PSG in which he claimed moral harassment. On it, he'll face his former club for the first time in today's heavyweight, revenge clash at MetLife Stadium with a spot in the Club World Cup Final on the line. ? Wimbledon, Quarterfinals | ESPN/ESPN2/ESPN+ Four more matches today to round out the semifinals: No. 1 Jannik Sinner vs. No. 10 Ben Shelton (9:10am) and No. 6 Novak Djokovic vs. No. 22 Flavio Cobolli (9:40am) for the men; No. 8 Iga Świątek vs. No. 19 Liudmila Samsonova (8am) and No. 7 Mirra Andreeva vs. Belinda Bencic (8:30am) for the women. More to watch: ⚽️ U.S. Open Cup: Philadelphia Union vs. New York Red Bulls (7pm, CBSSN); Nashville SC vs. D.C. United (9pm, Paramount+) … Quarterfinals. ⚽️ Women's Euros: England vs. Netherlands (12pm, FS1); France vs. Wales (3pm, Fox) … Group D action in Switzerland. ⚾️ MLB: Mets at Orioles (7pm, ESPN); Mariners at Yankees (7pm, Prime) ? WNBA: Valkyries at Fever (12pm, NBA) … The expansion Valkyries have impressed so far, going 9-9 to open their inaugural campaign, and Caitlin Clark (groin) will return after missing the last five games. ? Tour de France: Stage 5 (7am, Peacock) … The first of two time trials takes place in Caen, a port city in northwest France. Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted July 11, 2025 Author Members Posted July 11, 2025 ? Good morning! The MLB Draft is on Sunday. Who's going No. 1? In today's edition: The rise of Banana Ball, the LPGA Tour's season of parity, 25 best NFL teams this century, NBA power rankings, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports… ? ICYMI headlineS ⚽️ PSG advances: Paris Saint-Germain embarrassed Real Madrid with a 4-0 shellacking to reach the Club World Cup Final, where they'll face Chelsea for the championship on Sunday. ? Wimbledon semis are set: No. 1 Jannik Sinner (over No. 10 Ben Shelton) and No. 6 Novak Djokovic (over No. 22 Flavio Cobolli) made the men's semifinals; No. 8 Iga Świątek (over No. 19 Liudmila Samsonova) and Belinda Bencic (over No. 7 Mirra Andreeva) made the women's. ⚾️ Robots in Atlanta: Next week's All-Star Game will use the automated ball-strike challenge system that's already been tested in Triple-A and spring training, bringing robo umps one step closer to regular-season MLB games. ? NBA extensions: The Thunder are signing Chet Holmgren to a five-year max extension that could be worth up to $250 million, and the Suns are signing Devin Booker to a two-year, $145 million max extension. ? Manning pulls out of Giants bid: Eli Manning has changed his mind about buying a minority stake in the Giants. "It's too expensive for me," he said. "A 1% stake valued at $10 billion turns into a very big number." ? BANANA BALL THE SAVANNAH BANANAS: AMERICA'S TEAM? (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) The Savannah Bananas have stepped into the entertainment void left behind by misguided major pro sports leagues — and they're dancing all the way to the bank. From Yahoo Sports' Jay Busbee: You probably know the basics of the Savannah Bananas, the minor-league team-turned-traveling extravaganza that combines baseball with theater, sport and performance art colliding in a frenetic, high-energy show. Built by owners Jesse and Emily Cole on the bones of a collegiate summer league, the Bananas play "Banana Ball," a version of baseball with its own set of rules — whoever scores the most runs in an inning gets a point, for instance, and if a fan catches a foul ball, the batter is out. The Bananas have starred in documentaries, sold out minor-league stadiums, even hosted an ocean cruise. And they've almost certainly turned up on your social media feed, with players dancing to "The Greatest Showman" or "Thunderstruck" in between pitches. Bananas player Dakota "Stilts" Albritton, billed as the world's tallest baseball player, in action at Fenway Park. (John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) Somewhere along the line, though, the Bananas broke containment. They graduated from minor-league parks to major-league venues, selling out legendary ballparks such as Fenway Park and Camden Yards. During a recent weekend in Los Angeles, Bananas tickets sold on the secondary market for more than tickets to an actual Dodgers-Yankees World Series rematch. And now, this cavalcade of dancing goofballs has leveled up again, selling out NFL stadiums. Banana Ball has invaded places such as Tampa, Nashville and Charlotte, selling out all the way up to the upper-deck light fixtures. It's fair to wonder how in the world the Bananas could draw tens of thousands of people to a football stadium to watch baseball … provided, that is, you've never seen the Bananas in person. Savannah Banana Malachi Mitchell flips in the air during pregame warm-ups. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) If your entire experience with the Bananas is a steady stream of goofy dances on your feed, it'd be easy to slag off the entire enterprise as silly and inconsequential. But look a little deeper. We're in an era in which major sports franchises, in their perpetual quest to improve profitability and valuation, now treat their fans as either perpetual ATMs or irrelevant nuisances. It's damn near impossible to follow your favorite team on a daily basis without shelling out hundreds in streaming service subscription costs. At every turn, teams, athletes and media all exploit fans' love and devotion for their own petty, selfish, short-sighted, profit-taking ends. It's never been more expensive to be a fan, and it's never been less fulfilling, either. Is it any wonder, then, that a group of goofballs who are clearly enjoying themselves has found an unexpected connection with fans? Everyone else, it seems, has lost the plot on what sports ought to be: a diversion and an inspiration. By both happy accident and deliberate design, the Bananas have stepped into this void left behind by misguided major professional sports leagues … and they're TikTok-dancing all the way to the bank. ⛳️ EVIAN CHAMPIONSHIP THE LPGA'S SEASON OF PARITY Minjee Lee plays a shot during Wednesday's pro-am. (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images) The Evian Championship, the fourth of five LPGA majors, teed off today in France, where 132 golfers are competing for an $8 million purse. After the most wide-open start to a season in LPGA history, it's anyone's guess who'll come out on top. Wild stat: Each of this year's 17 tournaments has had a different winner — the longest stretch to start a season in the LPGA's 75-year history. 2025 LPGA winners: 18 women (there was one team event) from eight countries have captured a title so far, including seven first-time winners. ?? Kim A-lim (Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions) ?? Yealimi Noh (Founders Cup) ?? Angel Yin (Honda LPGA Thailand) ?? Lydia Ko (HSBC Women's World Championship) ?? Rio Takeda (Blue Bay LPGA) ?? Kim Hyo-joo (Ford Championship) ?? Madelene Sagström (T-Mobile Match Play) ?? Ingrid Lindblad (JM Eagle LA Championship) ?? Mao Saigo (Chevron Championship) … Major ?? Ryu Hae-ran (Black Desert Championship) ?? Atthaya Thitikul (Mizuho Americas Open) ?? Chisato Iwai (Riviera Maya Open) ?? Maja Stark (U.S. Women's Open) … Major ?? Jennifer Kupcho (ShopRite LPGA Classic) ?? Carlota Ciganda (Meijer LPGA Classic) ?? Minjee Lee (KPMG Women's PGA Championship) … Major ?? Im Jin-hee and Lee So-mi (Dow Championship) Surprising omission: You may notice that Nelly Korda of all people is not listed above. The world No. 1 was unstoppable last year, winning seven tournaments with a Scottie Scheffler-like run of dominance, but has yet to get her first win of 2025. It should only be a matter of time before she breaks through, though, considering her peripheral stats are actually better than a year ago. Korda through 10 starts last year: 2.37 shots gained per round, 70.0 scoring average, 6 wins Korda through 10 starts this year: 2.47 shots gained per round, 69.6 scoring average, 0 wins Looking ahead: LPGA enters pivotal three-week European stretch ? 2000-2025 THE 25 BEST TEAMS OF THE QUARTER CENTURY (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) Yahoo Sports' Frank Schwab is spending this week looking back at the NFL's last 25 years. He's already covered the All-Quarter Century Team and the best 25 draft picks since 2000; today, it's the 25 greatest teams of the quarter century. Top 25 teams since 2000: This is, of course, not merely a list of the 25 Super Bowl champions this century; some of the best teams didn't even reach the big game, much less win it.* Such is life in the NFL's hyper-competitive, one-and-done playoff format. 2007 Patriots: 16-0 (lost Super Bowl XLII) 2019 Chiefs: 12-4 (won Super Bowl LIV) 2016 Patriots: 14-2 (won Super Bowl LI) 2004 Patriots: 14-2 (won Super Bowl XXXIX) 2013 Seahawks: 13-3 (won Super Bowl XLVIII) 2022 Chiefs: 14-3 (won Super Bowl LVII) 2014 Patriots: 12-4 (won Super Bowl XLIX) 2024 Eagles: 14-3 (won Super Bowl LIX) 2019 Ravens: 14-2 (lost in Divisional Round) 2011 Packers: 15-1 (lost in Divisional Round) 2000 Ravens: 12-4 (won Super Bowl XXXV) 2017 Eagles: 13-3 (won Super Bowl LII) 2010 Packers: 10-6 (won Super Bowl XLV) 2014 Seahawks: 12-4 (lost Super Bowl XLIX) 2001 Rams: 14-2 (lost Super Bowl XXXVI) 2013 Broncos: 13-3 (lost Super Bowl XLVIII) 2008 Steelers: 12-4 (won Super Bowl XLIII) 2005 Colts: 14-2 (lost in Divisional Round) 2002 Buccaneers: 12-4 (won Super Bowl XXXVII) 2006 Chargers: 14-2 (lost in Divisional Round) 2024 Lions: 15-2 (lost in Divisional Round) 2009 Saints: 13-3 (won Super Bowl XLIV) 2020 Buccaneers: 11-5 (won Super Bowl LV) 2015 Panthers: 15-1 (lost Super Bowl 50) 2022 Bills: 13-3 (lost in Divisional Round) *Wild stat: 10 teams this century have outscored their opponents in the regular season by at least 200 points — and not a single one of them went on to win the Super Bowl. The full list, which includes six of the teams above: 2001 Rams, 2007 Patriots, 2010 Patriots, 2011 Saints, 2011 Packers, 2012 Patriots, 2013 Broncos, 2019 Ravens, 2023 Ravens, 2024 Lions. ? EAST VS. WEST NBA POWER RANKINGS: OFFSEASON EDITION (Taylar Sievert/Yahoo Sports) Now that the NBA's early free agency rush has slowed to a trickle, Yahoo Sports' Ben Rohrbach takes stock of the league with his first offseason conference power rankings. The East is wide open: Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum are out after rupturing their Achilles. Giannis Antetokounmpo's commitment to the Bucks remains in some doubt. The Knicks fired head coach Tom Thibodeau and replaced him with Mike Brown. Meanwhile, the Hawks and Magic made upgrades to enter the fray as fringe contenders. The East will look a lot different this year. Maybe not better. Probably worse. But definitely a lot different. (Taylar Sievert/Yahoo Sports) The West Is Stack Again: The 68-win reigning champion Thunder are back — with reinforcements. The No. 2-seeded Rockets added Kevin Durant. The Nuggets retooled around Nikola Jokić. Rising superstar Anthony Edwards looks to take his next step for the Timberwolves. Three veteran-led teams still reside in California's two biggest cities. And good teams will miss the playoffs. Only one team is truly tanking. ? VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: THURSDAY, JULY 10 Sabalenka and Anisimova after their French Open match earlier this year, which Sabalenka won. (Alain Jocard/AFP via Getty Images) ? Wimbledon, Semifinals | ESPN The final four women take Centre Court today at the All England Club. First, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka faces No. 13 Amanda Anisimova (8:30am ET), who leads their all-time series, 5-3. Then it's No. 8 Iga Świątek, in her ninth major semifinal, against Belinda Bencic, in her second (9:40am). ⛳️ Amundi Evian Championship | 6am, Golf The fourth of five women's majors tees off today in Evian-les-Bains, France, where 132 golfers will compete for an $8 million purse. More to watch: ⛳️ Golf: Scottish Open (2am, ESPN+; 11am, Golf) … Round 1 at The Renaissance Club teed off while you were sleeping. ? Tour de France: Stage 6 (6:35am, Peacock) … The sixth stage travels 125 miles from Bayeux to Vire Normandie, with over two miles of elevation gain and six categorized climbs. ⚽️ Women's Euros: Finland vs. Switzerland (3pm, Fox); Norway vs. Iceland (3pm, FS1) … Group A action in Switzerland. Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted July 12, 2025 Author Members Posted July 12, 2025 > American Amanda Anisimova upsets No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka to advance to tomorrow's Wimbledon women's final against Iga Swiatek; men's semifinal matches are set for this morning (More) > "The Office" spinoff "The Paper" sets Sept. 4 premiere on Peacock (More) | "The Young and the Restless" leads all series in nominations for the 52nd Daytime Emmy Awards with 19; see complete list of nominees (More) > Paul McCartney announces 19-date North American tour beginning Sept. 29 (More) | Screen Actors Guild ends nearly yearlong strike with video game companies over use of AI replicas (More) Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted July 13, 2025 Author Members Posted July 13, 2025 ? Yahoo! It's Friday! You made it. In today's edition: Flagg's debut, Anisimova advances, best NFL games this century, Weekend Watchlist, MLB Draft Big Board and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports… ? SUMMER LEAGUE FLAGG, JAMES BATTLE UNDER BRIGHT LIGHTS (Ethan Miller/Getty Images) Cooper Flagg got his first taste of the NBA on Thursday in a highly-anticipated Summer League matchup against Bronny James and the Lakers. From Yahoo Sports' Vincent Goodwill: First, there were whispers, which turned to murmurs, which then elevated to a full-on buzz. The public address announcer at the Thomas and Mack Center called it "The Main Event," but the previous game was getting in the way. Late fouls delayed the debut of Cooper Flagg and reintroduction of Bronny James by a handful of minutes, prompting boos from the crowd. But once the bell rung, Flagg delivered beyond what the numbers illustrated. The No. 1 pick in last month's draft had some electrifying moments in his first taste of NBA life, while James looked more comfortable in a professional setting than he did last season — albeit in the rough-and-tumble Summer League. Flagg, who ran point guard at Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd's urging, handled the Lakers picking him up at full court and bumping him when he tried to use his 6-foot-8 frame to get in the low post. He finished with 10 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 1 block — the block being a spectacular one in the game's final minutes, leading to the go-ahead triple that kept the Mavericks up for good. James had his moments, too. He hit two jumpers in the first two possessions with Flagg guarding him, one being a triple, to give this atmosphere even more of an AAU-buzz. "He's got, like, half a foot on me," James said. "He's great. I watched him in college, amazing player." Of the moment, Flagg said: "I don't know how tall he is, but a smaller guard like that on me, I gotta try and take advantage of [the] mismatch and the size advantage. So it wasn't anything more than that, but it was fun." Go deeper: 3 observations from Flagg's debut (Dan Titus, Yahoo Sports) ? 2000-2025 TOP 25 NFL GAMES OF THE CENTURY (David Heringer/Yahoo Sports) Yahoo Sports' Frank Schwab is spending this week looking back at the NFL's last 25 years. He's already covered the All-Quarter Century Team and the 25 best draft picks and teams since 2000; today, it's the top 25 games of the quarter century. The top 10 games since 2000: Super Bowl XLIX (Feb. 1, 2015): Malcolm Butler stunned the Seahawks with a goal-line interception to seal the Patriots' fourth title. They should've run the ball! … Patriots 28, Seahawks 24 13 seconds in Kansas City (Jan 23, 2022): Josh Allen and the Bills played a phenomenal game in this divisional matchup — they just gave Patrick Mahomes too much time. … Chiefs 42, Bills 36 (OT) Super Bowl LI, aka "28-3" (Feb. 5, 2017): Where were you when Tom Brady engineered the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history and ripped the Falcons' hearts out? … Patriots 34, Falcons 28 (OT) 2006 AFC Championship (Jan. 21, 2007): Brady and Peyton Manning had countless great duels, but this 18-point comeback by the Colts was the best of the bunch. … Colts 38, Patriots 34 Super Bowl XLIII (Feb. 1, 2009): Santonio Holmes’ sensational toe-drag catch in the back of the end zone clinched the Steelers' sixth championship. … Steelers 27, Cardinals 23 2018 AFC Championship (Jan. 20, 2019): Brady's Patriots dynasty wasn't done quite yet, holding off Mahomes' budding Chiefs dynasty in an instant classic. … Patriots 37, Chiefs 31 (OT) Minneapolis Miracle (Jan. 14, 2018): The Saints led by 1 with 10 seconds left in the divisional round, but you know how this one ended. "Diggs! Sideline! Touchdown! Unbelievable!" … Vikings 29, Saints 24 Rams 54, Chiefs 51 (Nov. 19, 2018): This Monday night clash between two 9-1 contenders was maybe the most entertaining game in NFL history, and the only one to see a team score 50 and lose. … Rams 54, Chiefs 51 The Tuck Rule (Jan. 19, 2002): Brady's fumble late in this divisional game was overturned due to a rule most were unfamiliar with at the time, and weeks later New England won its first Super Bowl. An all-time sliding doors moment. … Patriots 16, Raiders 13 (OT) The Philly Special (Feb. 4, 2018): The Eagles' first Super Bowl came thanks to an epic trick play and a slugfest that saw Philly and New England combine for an NFL-record 1,151 yards of offense. … Eagles 41, Patriots 33 11-25: The rest of the list includes such iconic moments as the "Helmet Catch," the Miracle at the New Meadowlands and the Broncos' walk-off win amid Tebowmania. ? STATS DU JOUR BY THE NUMBERS Anisimova celebrates her victory over Sabalenka. (Tim Clayton/Getty Images) ? 3-for-3? Amanda Anisimova upset top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka on Thursday to reach the Wimbledon final, where she will try to keep the Americans' perfect record at 2025 majors intact after Madison Keys (Australian Open) and Coco Gauff (French Open) won in Melbourne and Paris. Her opponent: Five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Świątek. ⚾️ 25-25 Cubs superstar Pete Crow-Armstrong joined Bobby Bonds (1973) and Eric Davis (1987) as the only players in MLB history to reach 25 HR and 25 steals before the All-Star break. ? $822 million After extending Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren, the Thunder have completed the trifecta with a five-year max extension for Jalen Williams worth up to $287 million. That's $822 million committed to their "Big Three" this offseason. ? THROUGH THE LENS IN PHOTOS: WOMEN'S EURO STADIUMS (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images) Switzerland's eight host cities have provided a stunning backdrop for Women's Euro 2025. With the group stage ending this weekend, let's take a look at some of the picturesque views fans have been treated to over the past week. Lucerne — Poland and Sweden in action under a stormy sky at Allmend Stadion Luzern. (Jan Kruger/UEFA via Getty Images) Geneva — Denmark and Sweden line up before their match at Stade de Genève at the base of Mont Salève. (James Gill/Danehouse/Getty Images) Sion — Norway and Finland play at Stade de Tourbillon in the shadow of the Valère Basilica, a fortified Roman Catholic church and Swiss heritage site. (Maja Hitij/UEFA via Getty Images) Thun — Iceland and Norway in action at Stockhorn Arena, situated in the mountainous region surrounding Lake Thun. Where it stands: Germany, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland have already advanced to the quarterfinals. The final three spots will go to one of Italy or Portugal in Group B plus whichever two teams come out of Group D (France, England, Netherlands, Wales). ? VIEWING GUIDE WEEKEND WATCHLIST Can Djokovic claim an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam? (Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty Images) ? Wimbledon, Semis and Finals | Fri-Sun, ESPN Today's men's semifinals kick off with two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz vs. Taylor Fritz (8:30am ET), who can become the first American man to reach the final here since Andy Roddick in 2009. Then it's top-ranked Jannik Sinner vs. Novak Djokovic (10:10am), who will be playing in his 52nd Grand Slam semifinal. Tomorrow it's Amanda Anisimova vs. Iga Świątek in the women's final (11am), followed by the men's final on Sunday (11am). ⚽️ Chelsea vs. PSG | Sun. 3pm, TBS The new-look Club World Cup concludes on Sunday at the Meadowlands, where two European juggernauts will be facing off. The winner stands to earn $40 million for this match alone. ⚾️ MLB Draft | Sun. 6pm, ESPN The All-Star festivities in Atlanta kick off on Sunday with the first three rounds of the MLB Draft. The Nationals own the No. 1 pick for the third time in franchise history. Unlike the first two times — in 2009 (Stephen Strasburg) and 2010 (Bryce Harper) — the decision isn't obvious. ⛳️ Evian Championship | Fri-Sun, Golf It's a crowded leaderboard at the Evian Resort Club, where the second round is underway after five women finished the first round tied for the lead at 6-under. One of those leaders was Ireland's Leona Maguire, who carded her first career ace — yet somehow, in 2025, at a major championship, no video was taken of the shot. ? Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano | Fri. 11pm, Netflix Two of the world's best boxers headline an all-women's card at Madison Square Garden, where Serrano (47-3-1, 31 KOs) will look to avenge her two losses to Taylor (24-1, 6 KOs) in a trilogy bout that represents the first true classic rivalry in women's boxing. More to watch: ⚽️ Women's Euros: Six games (Fri-Sun, Fox/FS1/FS2) … Group stage finale. ⚾️ MLB: Mariners at Tigers (Fri. 7pm, Apple); Dodgers at Giants (Sun. 4pm, Roku) … Final weekend before the All-Star break. ⛳️ DP World Tour: Scottish Open (Fri-Sun, ESPN+/Golf/CBS) … Four golfers ended Day 1 tied for first (-6) at The Renaissance Club. ⛳️ LIV: Andalucía (Fri-Sun, FS1/FS2/Fox) … At Real Club Valderrama. ? Tour de France: Stages 7-9 (Fri-Sun, Peacock) … Mathieu van der Poel regained the yellow jersey on Thursday, taking a 1-second lead over three-time champion Tadej Pogačar. ? NASCAR: Sonoma Raceway (Sun. 3:30pm, TNT) … Round 3 of the Cup Series' five-week "In-Season Challenge." ? IndyCar: Iowa Speedway (Sat. 5pm and Sun. 1pm, Fox) ... The only doubleheader weekend of the season. ? WNBA: Wings at Fever (Sun. 1pm, ABC) … Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark face off for the first time. ? PLL: Week 7 (Fri-Sat, ESPN2/ESPN+) … In Chicago. ⚾️ STANDINGS MLB TRIVIA Question: Without looking, can you name all six MLB division leaders entering the final weekend before the All-Star break? Answer at the bottom. ⚾️ BIG BOARD MLB DRAFT: TOP 50 PROSPECTS (Dillon Minshall/Yahoo Sports) Meet the top 50 high school and college prospects most likely to hear their names called on Sunday in Atlanta. Trivia answer: Blue Jays (AL East), Tigers (AL Central), Astros (AL West), Phillies (NL East), Cubs (NL Central), Dodgers (NL West) Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted July 13, 2025 Author Members Posted July 13, 2025 Caster Semenya’s sex eligibility battle has confounded sports for 16 years and still isn’t over CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — One of the most complex current issues in sports can be traced back to a track meet in Germany in 2009, when an unknown 18-year-old from South Africa blew away a field of the best female runners on the planet to win the world title. The teenager was hardly out of breath when she flexed her muscles at the end of it. https://apnews.com/article/caster-semenya-track-sex-eligibility-gender-sports-d42772998ec563f75dac028ec4fdab20? Wimbledon Finals Underway The world’s oldest tennis tournament concludes this weekend in London, with Amanda Anisimova and Iga Świątek in the women’s singles final today at 11 am ET and Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in the men’s final tomorrow. See the full schedule here. Anisimova, an American, reached her first Grand Slam final by upsetting favorite Aryna Sabalenka Thursday. She is Wimbledon’s first US finalist since Serena Williams in 2019. Anisimova's challenger, Poland’s Świątek, dominated her semifinal match to secure her finals spot. Saturday marks both players’ Wimbledon women’s final debut. In the men’s face-off, Italy’s Sinner and Spain’s Alcaraz will rematch their French Open showdown last month, which Alcaraz won. Sinner defeated seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic in yesterday’s semifinal match, ending Djokovic’s streak of finals appearances. Both men played through injuries. Alcaraz is vying for his third consecutive Wimbledon title, after beating Djokovic in 2023 and 2024. In other tennis news, Venus Williams accepted a wild-card entry to play singles at this month’s DC Open. It will be her first tournament in over a year. Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted July 15, 2025 Author Members Posted July 15, 2025 > World No. 1 Jannik Sinner beats Carlos Alcaraz to win his first Wimbledon title and fourth career Grand Slam (More) | Iga Swiatek tops American Amanda Anisimova to win her first Wimbledon and sixth major title (More) > Chelsea cruises to 3-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain to win 2025 FIFA Club World Cup (More) > Washington Nationals take Oklahoma high schooler Eli Willits with top pick in 2025 MLB Draft; see complete Day One draft tracker (More) | Seattle Mariners' Cal Raleigh breaks American League record by hitting 38 home runs prior to the MLB All-Star Game (More) Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted July 15, 2025 Author Members Posted July 15, 2025 ? Good morning! Welcome back. In today's edition: Historic home run pace, Willits goes No. 1 to the Nats, Jannik and Iga win in England, Chelsea crowned champs, Baker's Dozen, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports… ? ICYMI headlineS ⚾️ MLB Draft, Night 1: The Nationals selected high school shortstop Eli Willits with the No. 1 pick on Sunday. At 17 years, 7 months old he's the youngest player taken first overall since Ken Griffey Jr. in 1987. Full recap: Rounds 1-3. ? Mavs shut down Flagg: After just two games, including a 31-point outburst on Saturday, the Mavericks are shutting down No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg for the rest of Summer League. ⛳️ Kim wins in France: Australia's Grace Kim beat world No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul in a playoff to capture her first major title at the Evian Championship with some of the most clutch golf you'll see this year. ?️ F1 to Apple: Formula 1 telecasts will reportedly move to Apple next season after the company outbid ESPN for the broadcast rights. This comes two weeks after Apple's "F1" film opened No. 1 at the box office. ? Clark bests Bueckers: Caitlin Clark (14 points, 3 rebounds, 13 assists) and the Fever steamrolled Paige Bueckers (21 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists) and the Wings, 102-83, in the first WNBA matchup between the former Naismith Players of the Year. ⚾️ ALL-STAR BREAK MLB'S TOP SLUGGERS ARE ON A HISTORIC HEATER (Hassan Ahmad/Yahoo Sports) MLB's first half is officially in the rearview, with tonight's Home Run Derby kicking off All-Star week. But for five of the league's best sluggers, the derby started months ago. Historic achievement: For the first time ever, five players have at least 30 home runs at the All-Star break. Cal Raleigh (38 HR): The Mariners' switch-hitting catcher has already eclipsed his career-high, and his 38 dingers are one shy of Barry Bonds' record for the most ever at the break, when he hit 39 in 2001 en route to a record 73 that season. Aaron Judge (35 HR): The Yankees' captain reached 350 career home runs on Saturday faster than any other player in MLB history (1,088 career games). The next-fastest to 350: Mark McGwire (1,280), Juan González (1,298) and Alex Rodriguez (1,301). Shohei Ohtani (32 HR): Not only does Ohtani have his fifth straight 30-homer season; the Dodgers' two-way star also has a 1.00 ERA in his first five starts since returning from elbow surgery. Eugenio Suárez (31 HR): Arizona's third baseman, who's been on fire with 10 HR in his last 22 games, made history back in April when he became the 19th player in MLB history with a four-homer game. Kyle Schwarber (30 HR): Philly's DH just keeps getting better with age, and this season the 11-year vet has cut his bloated strikeout rate to a six-year low while still crushing pretty much everything he makes contact with. Zoom out: This historic achievement isn't due to some broader power surge, as the league-wide HR rate is actually tied with last season's for the second-lowest in a decade. Data also suggests that fly balls are traveling less far than they did a year ago thanks to MLB's ever-changing balls. Instead, it's a perfect storm of the league's best sluggers all clicking at the same time. Indeed, there's nothing random about the list above, with all five guys among the top 10 home run hitters since 2022 (Raleigh's first full season). The quintet is also an encapsulation of modern "three true outcomes" baseball, as all five are in the top 20 for strikeouts and four of five (all but Suárez) are in the top 10 for walks. Looking ahead: FanGraphs projects that Judge (55 HR), Raleigh (53), Ohtani (49) and Schwarber (47) will at least flirt with 50 homers. If all four reach that hallowed mark, 2025 will join 1998 and 2001 as the only years in MLB history with a quartet of 50-homer seasons. ? GRAND SLAM WIMBLEDON: SINNER, ŚWIĄTEK WIN MAIDEN TITLES (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) Men: Top-ranked Jannik Sinner beat defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, on Sunday to win his first Wimbledon title and fourth major. Sinner, 23, avenged his heartbreaking loss to Alcaraz, 22, in the French Open final just five weeks ago. His victory on Sunday ended a run of five straight losses to Alcaraz, who now holds an 8-5 lead in their all-time series. The Big 2: Sinner and Alcaraz have combined to win the past seven Grand Slams and nine of the last 12. Fittingly, this marked the first time the same two men faced off in the French Open and Wimbledon finals in the same year since Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in 2006, 2007 and 2008. (Julian Finney/Getty Images) Women: Iga Świątek blanked Amanda Anisimova, 6-0, 6-0, in 57 minutes on Saturday to win her first Wimbledon title and sixth major championship. Chasing history: Świątek, 24, is the eighth woman to complete the "surface slam" with a major win on all three surfaces, and she's now an Australian Open title away from completing the coveted career Grand Slam. ⚽️ LAST TEAM STANDING CHELSEA WINS CLUB WORLD CUP Chelsea celebrates their victory with President Trump. (Carl Recine/FIFA via Getty Images) Chelsea blanked Paris Saint-Germain, 3-0, on Sunday to win the first edition of the expanded Club World Cup, which began on June 14 with a 32-team field. From Yahoo Sports' Henry Bushnell: It was everything everybody expected PSG to do Sunday at MetLife Stadium. But, remarkably, it was Chelsea doing it. The Blues, who were +370 underdogs to win in regulation, needed only 43 minutes to race past the European champions. Cole Palmer, who'd been freezing cold from January through June, sank the favorites with two goals inside the first half hour, then an exquisite assist before halftime. Palmer's stealthy assault on the PSG goal began 22 minutes after the soccer began, after a pre-match show filled with Americana, after Michael Buffer boomed to a sold-out crowd of 80,000: "Let's get ready to rummmmbllllleeee!" An unlikely champion: The Blues felt like outsiders for most of the month, having qualified for the tournament via their win in the 2021 Champions League final, a match in which only one current player appeared. They arrived in the U.S. having finished fourth in the English Premier League, and having rolled through a third-tier continental competition, the UEFA Conference League. When they lost to Flamengo in the group stage, frankly, they didn't seem like they were all that thrilled to be here. But they grew into the knockout stages and took advantage of a relatively soft half of the bracket, beating Benfica, Palmeiras and Fluminense. And then, in the final, they did what nobody thought anybody could. Further reading: Trump takes part in post-match ceremony, stays front and center for Chelsea's trophy lift ? SNAPSHOTS THROUGH THE LENS (Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images) Fort Lauderdale — Lionel Messi extended his own MLS record on Saturday with his fifth consecutive multi-goal game, powering Inter Miami's fifth straight win in league play. Race for the Golden Boot: Messi's brace gave him 16 goals on the season, tied with Nashville's Sam Surridge for the league lead despite playing six fewer games. (David Berding/Getty Images) Minneapolis — Byron Buxton celebrated his bobblehead day in style on Saturday, hitting for the 349th cycle in MLB history with a 5-for-5 showing that ended on a deep, cycle-clinching homer. Can he keep it up? Buxton has teased superstardom for a decade but injuries and inconsistency have hindered him. If he stays healthy, this should easily be his best season, as he's on pace for career-highs in nearly every category. (Marco Bertorello/AFP via Getty Images) Châteauroux, France — A group of spectators found a unique way to watch the ninth stage of the Tour de France on Saturday, setting up a makeshift pool along the 108-mile route from Chinon to Châteauroux in central France. Where it stands: Slovenia's Tadej Pogačar reclaimed the yellow jersey on Friday as he seeks his fourth Tour de France victory. He holds a 54-second lead over Belgium's Remco Evenepoel with just over half the race remaining. Participants during Friday's run with the bulls. (Jorge Guerrero/AFP via Getty Images) Pamplona, Spain — The annual Running of the Bulls at the Festival de San Fermín ended on Monday morning with the final run of the week. How it works: Each morning during the festival (July 7-14), millions of spectators watch as thousands of participants make a three-minute, 850-meter dash through the streets of Pamplona alongside six bulls and six bell-oxen. ? VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: MONDAY, JULY 14 (Davis Long/Yahoo Sports) ⚾️ Home Run Derby | 8pm ET, ESPN Eight sluggers will compete in the three-round competition tonight in Atlanta. The participants: Cal Raleigh, SEA (38 HR); James Wood, WSH (24); Junior Caminero, TB (23); Byron Buxton, MIN (21); Brent Rooker, ATH (20); Matt Olson, ATL (17); Jazz Chisholm Jr., NYY (17); Oneil Cruz, PIT (16). More to watch: ? Tour de France: Stage 10 (7:10am, Peacock) … The first mountain stage travels 103 miles from Ennezat to Mont-Dore in central France. ⚾️ MLB Draft: Rounds 4-20 (11:30am, MLB.com) Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted July 16, 2025 Author Members Posted July 16, 2025 Michael Douglas and Danny DeVito revisit ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ for its 50th anniversary “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest" is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a new 4K restoration and a theatrical re-release. Michael Douglas, who produced the film, and Danny DeVito, who played Martini in his first major film role, spoke to The Associated Press about the landmark anniversary and their memories of the production. Read More. > The 2025 MLB All-Star Game set for tonight (8 pm ET, FOX); see roster breakdown and preview (More) | 2025 MLB Draft wraps; see full tracker of all 615 picks (More) | The history of MLB (1440 Topics) > John Elway won't face charges in the April death of his friend and agent Jeff Sperbeck, who died from injuries sustained after falling off a golf cart driven by Elway (More) > Animated children's show "Bluey" is most streamed US show in first half of 2025 with 25 billion minutes viewed (More) | HBO's "Harry Potter" TV series begins production, sets 2027 release date (More) | "Superman" flies to $122M in its opening weekend to lead US domestic box office (More) Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted July 16, 2025 Author Members Posted July 16, 2025 ? Good morning! When Cal Raleigh was eight years old, his dad filmed him pretending to win the Home Run Derby. 20 years later, he made that childhood dream come true. In today's edition: Big Dumper wins the Derby, Michigan's unprecedented feat, Fantasy Baseball All-Stars, historic golf streaks, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports… ⚾️ ALL-STAR WEEK BIG DUMPER WINS THE DERBY (Jamie Squire/Getty Images) Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh won the Home Run Derby on Monday in Atlanta, edging out Rays 3B Junior Caminero in the final, 18 to 15, to continue his dream season. Family affair: Raleigh is the first catcher to win the event, and he did it with his father, Todd, pitching to him and his 15-year-old brother, Todd Jr., catching. From Yahoo Sports' Jake Mintz: Raleigh's rousing Derby performance served as a coronation of sorts, a capstone to the Mariners catcher's improbable rise from third-round draft pick to national baseball stardom. In cranking 38 first-half home runs, Raleigh undoubtedly solidified himself as the sport's best backstop, a switch-hitting dynamo delivering outrageous offensive production for the position. While Raleigh has been a popular presence in the Pacific Northwest for a while, his magnificent 2025 season has elevated him into a new stratosphere. And his evening Monday on the grand stage was the perfect encapsulation of what makes the Mariners' backstop special: steadiness, consistency, exhilarating raw power from both sides of the dish. Raleigh's performance only confirmed his new reality: He is simply one of the most recognizable characters in the sport. And yes, the nickname certainly helps. In fact, Raleigh's evening began with a genuinely flooring introduction from professional bloviator Pat McAfee. "WITH THE FATTEST ASS IN ALL OF PROFESSIONAL SPORTS ..." the ESPN personality hollered to the sellout crowd. "BIG DUMPER CAL RALEIGH." With that, Raleigh was off to the races. ? GO BLUE MICHIGAN MAKES DRAFT HISTORY (Giphy) Michigan made history over the weekend, becoming the first school ever to have a first-round pick in the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL drafts in the same year. NFL: Mason Graham (No. 5) NHL: Will Horcoff (No. 24) NBA: Danny Wolf (No. 27) MLB: Mitch Voit (No. 38) But wait, there's more: The Wolverines also had a first-round pick in the MLS Draft, with Jason Bucknor going No. 20 to the Galaxy. ⚾️ YAHOO FANTASY FANTASY BASEBALL ALL-STARS (Stefan Milic/Yahoo Sports) The MLB All-Star Game is tonight in Atlanta,* featuring rosters voted on by fans and players alike. But who makes the squad when first-half fantasy production is the sole criteria? Yahoo Sports' Fred Zinkie makes his picks. American League: Catcher: Cal Raleigh, SEA … 38 HR, 82 RBI, 65 R, 10 SB, .259/.376/.634 First base: Cody Bellinger, NYY … 16 HR, 54 RBI, 54 R, 9 SB, .282/.336/.830 Second base: Ceddanne Rafaela, BOS … 14 HR, 48 RBI, 55 R, 13 SB, .271/.314/.483 Third base: José Ramírez, CLE … 18 HR, 50 RBI, 54 R, 29 SB, .295/.363/.506 Shortstop: Bobby Witt Jr., KC … 14 HR, 54 RBI, 57 R, 25 SB, .294/.345/.504 Outfield: Aaron Judge, NYY … 35 HR, 81 RBI, 85 R, 6 SB, .355/.462/.733 Outfield: Riley Greene, DET … 24 HR, 78 RBI, 53 R, 1 SB, .284/.335/.544 Outfield: Byron Buxton, MIN … 21 HR, 56 RBI, 64 R, 17 SB, .289/.351/.574 Designated hitter: Brent Rooker, ATH … 20 HR, 54 RBI, 60 R, 3 SB, .279/.355/.505 Starting pitcher: Tarik Skubal, DET … 10-3, 2.23 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 153 K Starting pitcher: Garrett Crochet, BOS … 10-4, 2.23 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 160 K Reliever: Josh Hader, HOU … 5-2, 25 SV (1 BLSV), 2.53 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, 65 K Spotlight: Riley Greene is striking out more than anyone — and having his best season yet (Jordan Shusterman, Yahoo Sports) (Stefan Milic/Yahoo Sports) National League: Catcher: Will Smith, LAD … 12 HR, 46 RBI, 45 R, 2 SB, .323/.425/.540 First base: Pete Alonso, NYM … 21 HR, 77 RBI, 53 R, 1 SB, .280/.376/.532 Second base: Ketel Marte, ARI … 19 HR, 40 RBI, 52 R, 2 SB, .290/.394/.567 Third base: Eugenio Suárez, ARI … 31 HR, 78 RBI, 58 R, 1 SB, .250/.320/.569 Shortstop: Elly De La Cruz, CIN … 18 HR, 63 RBI, 72 R, 25 SB, .284/.359/.495 Outfield: Pete Crow-Armstrong, CHC … 25 HR, 71 RBI, 67 R, 27 SB, .265/.302/.544 Outfield: Kyle Tucker, CHC … 17 HR, 56 RBI, 68 R, 22 SB, .280/.384/.499 Outfield: James Wood, WSH … 24 HR, 69 RBI, 59 R, 12 SB, .278/.381/.534 Designated hitter: Shohei Ohtani, LAD … 32 HR, 60 RBI, 91 R, 12 SB, .276/.382/.605 Starting pitcher: Paul Skenes, PIT … 4-8, 2.01 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 131 K Starting pitcher: Zack Wheeler, PHI … 9-3, 2.36 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 154 K Reliever: Edwin Díaz, NYM … 4-0, 19 SV (1 BLSV), 1.66 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 55 K *Further reading: Why is the All-Star Game back in Atlanta? Next question (Jay Busbee, Yahoo Sports) ⛳️ GOING STREAKING XANDER AND SCOTTIE: A CUT ABOVE THE REST Scottie and Xander after finishing the second round of this year's PGA Championship. (Warren Little/Getty Images) Neither Scottie Scheffler nor Xander Schauffele, the world's first- and third-ranked golfers, won this past weekend at the Scottish Open. But they did make the cut — just as they have in every other tournament for the past three years. Weekend warriors: Schauffele hasn't missed a cut since the 2022 Masters (68 straight), while Scheffler's last miss came later that year at the FedEx St. Jude Championship (59). Those streaks aren't just insanely impressive; they're the sixth- and seventh-longest of all-time. Longest streaks of made cuts, PGA Tour history: Tiger Woods: 142 (1998-2005) Byron Nelson: 113 (1941-48) Jack Nicklaus: 105 (1970-76) Hale Irwin: 86 (1975-78) Dow Finsterwald: 72 (1955-58) Schauffele: 68 (2022-present) Scheffler: 59 (2022-present) A league of their own: Scottie and Xander are miles ahead the competition right now, as just eight other men have active streaks of at least 10 straight, with none longer than 15 (Corey Conners). Schauffele won his first event of the streak (2022 Zurich Classic), and since then has four more wins (including two majors) and 35 total top-10's. Scheffler makes even those lofty numbers look pedestrian, winning 12 times during his streak (including two majors, two Players Championships and a Tour Championship) to go along with 34 top-5's and 47 top-10's. Yes, he's finished top-10 in 47 of his last 59 starts.* Up next: Scheffler is Open Championship’s biggest favorite since 2015 *It's actually even more impressive than that: Scottie has also made four unofficial starts during his streak: the 2022-24 Hero World Challenge and the 2024 Olympics. His results in those starts? Three wins and a runner-up. ? VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: TUESDAY, JULY 15 (Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) ⚾️ All-Star Game | 8pm ET, Fox The 95th Midsummer Classic is tonight at Atlanta's Truist Park, where Cy Young frontrunners Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes are the starting pitchers and where the American League — which holds a 48-44-2 all-time advantage — will try to win for the 11th time in the last 12 games. More to watch: ? WNBA: Fever at Sun (8pm, ESPN) … After scoring 20+ points in four of her first six games, Caitlin Clark has been held under 20 points in six straight. ? Aquatics: World Championships (8pm, Peacock) …. The three-week long event began Friday in Singapore. ⚾️ FOR SALE MLB TRIVIA (Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Rays owner Stu Sternberg has agreed in principle to sell the franchise for $1.7 billion in a deal that's expected to close by September, The Athletic reports. Question: This will be the third MLB team sale this decade once completed. Can you name the other two teams that were sold? Hint: One AL, one NL. ⚽️ GOOD READ WHAT THE WORLD CUP LEARNED FROM THE CLUB WORLD CUP (Michael Regan/FIFA via Getty Images) From Yahoo Sports' Henry Bushnell: The Club World Cup was a "dress rehearsal" for the U.S., which will host 78 of 104 games at next summer's bigger, grander, more prestigious men's World Cup. It was a "test" of readiness, and a taste of what 2026 will be like. And in that sense, it was a reminder that 2026 won't just be a World Cup in North America; it will be an Americanized World Cup. Trivia answer: Mets (2020) and Orioles (2024) Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted July 17, 2025 Author Members Posted July 17, 2025 ? Good morning! Happy Hump Day. In today's edition: NL wins All-Star Game, Arch Manning's moment has arrived, Behind the Lens, previewing the ESPYS, and more.the ESPYS, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports… ⚾️ MIDSUMMER CLASSIC NL WINS ALL-STAR GAME IN SWING-OFF Schwarber holds up his All-Star Game MVP trophy. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) Monday night's Home Run Derby was so much fun that MLB decided to hold another one on Tuesday. ICYMI: The NL won the 95th Midsummer Classic, 7-6, after Kyle Schwarber powered the senior circuit to victory in the first-ever All-Star Game swing-off — essentially a tie-breaking home run derby. The game probably should have never reached that point, with the NL taking a commanding 6-0 lead after Pete Alonso and Corbin Carroll's sixth-inning homers. But the AL clawed back with six runs in the final three frames to trigger the swing-off, giving Atlanta's Truist Park its second home run derby in as many nights. How it worked: Three batters per team, three swings per batter, most total home runs wins. The lineups were predetermined by the managers, who were limited to picking reserves because many starters had left the ballpark early. The Hank Aaron tribute was the star of the night. (Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images) Game notes: Hank Aaron tribute: MLB and the Braves put on a spectacular Hank Aaron tribute, celebrating his then record-breaking 715th home run (it was, after all, July 15, or 7/15) with a three-minute light show. Skubal wins first challenge: AL starter Tarik Skubal won the first-ever All-Star Game challenge to strike out Manny Machado. The ABS challenge system, new this year, was used four more times throughout the game. Mic'd up legend: Clayton Kershaw had a blast in his 11th All-Star appearance, chatting with the booth while throwing pitches in the second inning. Is the NL back? After years of AL dominance (they won 21 of 25 games from 1997-2022), the NL has now won two of the past three All-Star Games. They trail the all-time series, 48-45-2. ? Fresh pod: All-Star week recap (Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Yahoo Sports) ? SEC MEDIA DAYS ARCH MANNING'S MOMENT HAS ARRIVED Manning speaks with reporters during SEC Media Days on Tuesday. (Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Texas QB Arch Manning was the star of the show at SEC media days, which served as the unofficial public kickoff to his crowning as the Longhorns starter. From Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger: A few days ago, Arch Manning phoned his father, Cooper, with a question about his appearance here at SEC media days. "Hey Dad," Arch asked, "What am I wearing?" And so, last weekend, as any dad would, Cooper flew to Austin, connected with an acquaintance in the clothing industry and the two of them put together the wardrobe ensemble that the 21-year-old Texas QB showed off on Tuesday. Cooper refers to the outfit as one befitting a "Southern gentleman" — a navy jacket over an orange-and-white striped shirt, matching striped tie, khaki slacks, a brown belt and, for a dash of a different color, a light blue pocket square and blue suede shoes. Twinkling on his left lapel, a golden Longhorns pin. "I don't know that it's really a suit," Arch said with a smile. The Arch Suit was born. In the biggest media moment of his career — more than 1,000 reporters, radio personalities and TV journalists were in attendance — Arch, infamously an avoider of the spotlight, spun through this media carwash like a seasoned veteran of such events. He smiled, laughed, cracked jokes, even teased reporters and spoke not like the most highly billed first-year starter in the country but a humbled kid just play'n ball. "Talk is cheap," he said. "I gotta go prove it." That starts on Aug. 30, when Arch and the Longhorns play at defending national champion Ohio State. "Gonna be a fun one," quipped Arch. (Ross Dellenger/Yahoo Sports) It's been a long road here, real long, longer than maybe anyone expected, including him and his father. Not only was Arch one of the most highly billed high school QBs ever, but he's the latest member of what is arguably the greatest football family in the sport's history. In 30 months in Austin, he's started two games, attempted 95 passes and tossed nine touchdowns. Finally, his day has arrived — well, six weeks from now. Maybe this will be worth the wait. But it wasn't easy — no, not at all, especially for a kid who has started since his little league days. It was so "tough," Arch said, that he began as a freshman playing pickup basketball games to satisfy his "competitive fire." In fact, he used to vent to teammates and staff during those bench-warming days. Did dad get frustrated too? "I've always liked when things didn't go perfectly for my children because I thought it builds character," Cooper said in an interview with Yahoo Sports this week. "If they're complaining about something either they are going to fix it themselves, overcome it or make an adjustment. Mom and dad coming to the rescue is only when it's really bad. Let them deal and overcome." Manning warms up before a game last season. (Tim Warner/Getty Images) In many ways, Arch is like any other kid, his dad says. He attended college with other priorities than just football. He wanted to meet new people, experience new things and learn (they do still go to school — Arch is majoring in communications and leadership). In an age of more player movement than ever, Arch stands as the outlier. He's also taller, thicker, smarter and just more mature than the kid who enrolled in January of 2023. It's been a weird ride to this point. He can remember walking to class as a freshman two years ago having to take photos with fellow students. Always the shy one, he'd phone his mom as a way to look busy. "I hadn't even played," he said. But after all of that, he's finally made it, on full display at the SEC's annual informal kickoff to the season. ? STATS DU JOUR BY THE NUMBERS Singh retired from running at 101 years old. (Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) ? 114 years old Fauja Singh, the man believed to be the world's oldest marathon runner, died Monday in Punjab, India, after being hit by a car. He was 114. ? $250.4 million On Monday, the Jets signed fourth-year WR Garrett Wilson to a four-year, $130 million extension that makes him one of the NFL's highest-paid wideouts. On Tuesday, they signed fourth-year CB Sauce Gardner to a three-year, $120.4 million extension that makes him the highest-paid CB of all time. Related: The Chiefs signed Trey Smith to a four-year, $92 million extension on Tuesday, making him the highest-paid guard of all time. ⚽️ 461,582 fans The Women's Euros quarterfinals kick off in Geneva today following a group stage that saw a tournament-record 461,582 fans attend 24 matches. ? PHOTOGRAPHY BEHIND THE LENS: CLUB WORLD CUP Urawa Red Diamonds supporters during a match against River Plate. (Steph Chambers/FIFA via Getty Images) With the Club World Cup in the rearview, we spoke with Getty Images photographers about their favorite off-the-field shots. Steph Chambers: I have never seen fans like the Urawa Red Diamonds supporters. They cheer so loudly and in perfect unison. It's intimidating. I wanted to capture their energy in a unique way, so I went up top to an overlook area that looks directly down at their section and waited for a chant where they were using their arms in sync. The extra element of the Japanese flag made the image more graphic and compelling. It was a sea of red. Al Ahly players ahead of their match against Inter Miami. (Carmen Mandato/FIFA via Getty Images) Carmen Mandato: Some of my favorite images came out of the tunnel, a space that FIFA grants our team special access to. It's quiet there. Removed from the chaos of the pitch, it becomes a rare, in-between moment where players gather themselves before stepping into the spotlight. As they line up, you can see it all start to shift— focus, nerves, resolve —each player processing what's ahead in their own way. There's a compelling intensity that settles into their expressions. (Hector Vivas/FIFA via Getty Images) Hector Vivas: For me, this photo of the trophy lift is a summary of what these weeks of work have been like — teamwork. I took this photo with a remote camera in a unique location thanks to the access we have as FIFA photographers. I placed the camera inside the field in front of the awards ceremony, achieving a different angle of the celebration, with a ground-level perspective. Our work often receives credit only to the person taking the photograph. But this shot wouldn't have been possible without my teammates who secured access, accompanied me with the right tools, and ensured the image reached our editing team as quickly as possible. ? VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: WEDNESDAY, JULY 16 Serena Williams hosting last year's ESPYS. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for W+P) ?️ The ESPYS | 8pm ET, ABC The 33rd annual ESPY Awards are tonight in Los Angeles, where comedian Shane Gillis is hosting and dozens of athletes and sports figures will be honored for their performance, careers and more. The nominees: 22 awards will be given out, headlined by the following three: Best male athlete: Josh Allen (Bills), Saquon Barkley (Eagles), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder), Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers) Best female athlete: Simone Biles (Gymnast), Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (Track & Field), Gabby Thomas (Track & Field), A'ja Wilson (Aces) Best team: Panthers (NHL), Dodgers (MLB), Liberty (WNBA), Ohio State (NCAAF), Thunder (NBA), Eagles (NFL), North Carolina (Women's Lacrosse), USWNT (Soccer), UConn (Women's Basketball) Special honorees: As they do each year, the ESPYS will also present three awards for courage, perseverance and service. Arthur Ashe Award for Courage: To NBA Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson, for his fight to establish free agency as president of the NBPA from 1965-74. Jimmy V Award for Perseverance: To Penn State women's volleyball coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley, for leading the Nittany Lions to the national championship while battling breast cancer. Pat Tillman Award for Service: To David Walters and Erin Regan, former athletes who were among the 7,500 first responders that fought the devastating wildfires in Southern California earlier this year. More to watch: ? WNBA: Fever at Liberty (7:30pm, CBSSN) … First-place New York (14-6) hosts sixth-place Indiana (11-10). ⚽️ Women's Euros: Norway vs. Italy (3pm, Fox) … Quarterfinals. ? Tour de France: Stage 11 (7:15am, Peacock) … Following the first of two scheduled rest days, riders will travel 97 miles through Toulouse. ⚽️ MLS: Cincinnati vs. Miami (7:30pm, Apple) … A matchup of the last two Supporters' Shield winners (best record). ? YEAR 50 NFL TRIVIA Bucs QB Steve Spurrier drops back to pass during Tampa Bay's inaugural 1976 season. (Focus on Sport/Getty Images) The Buccaneers are celebrating their 50th season this fall by bringing back their original 1976 white road uniforms for their home opener. Question: Which franchise began play alongside the Bucs in 1976? Answer at the bottom. ⛳️ OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP FLASHBACK: RORY'S 61 AT PORTRUSH Rory's scorecard. The 153rd Open Championship tees off tomorrow at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, where Rory McIlroy once shot a course-record 61 as a 16-year-old amateur. Rory: "I remember every shot from that round like it was yesterday," McIlroy said of his historic outing back on July 12, 2005. "It was the first time I ever played 18 holes without a bogey." Relive his historic round. Trivia answer: Seahawks Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted July 17, 2025 Author Members Posted July 17, 2025 > Ozzy Osbourne's final performance with Black Sabbath raises a record-breaking $190M for charity (More) | Unreleased Beyoncé music and concert footage stolen during Cowboy Carter tour stop in Atlanta (More) > Fauja Singh, Indian-born runner who broke a record by completing a marathon at age 100, dies at age 114 after being hit by a car (More) | David Kaff, actor and musician best known for starring role in "This Is Spinal Tap," dies at age 79 (More) > Portland's WNBA expansion franchise adopts "Fire" nickname, previously used by the city's prior WNBA team that folded in 2002; the new Portland Fire will begin playing in 2026 (More) Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted July 18, 2025 Author Members Posted July 18, 2025 > The 153rd British Open kicks off today at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland; see preview and opening-round tee times (More) > Main stage of Belgium's Tomorrowland music festival destroyed by fire just two days before the event was set to begin (More) > Robin Kaye, longtime "American Idol" executive, shot and killed at age 70 alongside her husband at Los Angeles home (More) | Audun Groenvold, Olympic bronze medal-winning skier, dies at age 49 after being struck by lightning (More) Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted July 19, 2025 Author Members Posted July 19, 2025 ? Good morning! The 153rd Open Championship is underway at Royal Portrush. And, surprise surprise, it's raining. In today's edition: Golf's major season is too short, WNBA power rankings, Jimmy Graham crosses the Arctic, Bo vs. Deion and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports… ? ICYMI headlineS ? ESPYS recap: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Simone Biles won as best male and female athletes at The ESPYS on Wednesday night. ? Beal to the Clippers: Bradley Beal agreed to a contract buyout with the Suns, ending his two-year stint in Phoenix. He's expected to join the Clippers on a two-year, $11 million deal with a player option that should make him a free agent next summer. ? Miller to the Commanders: Four months after being released by the Bills, eight-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Von Miller is signing with the Commanders. ? Big Wimbledon ratings: Jannik Sinner's win over Carlos Alcaraz drew an average of 2.9 million viewers, making it the most-watched Wimbledon final since Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer in 2019. ⛳️ Clark banned from Oakmont: Wyndham Clark has been banned from Oakmont Country Club after damaging a locker out of frustration following his missed cut at this year's U.S. Open. ⛳️ OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP GOLF'S MAJOR SEASON IS TOO SHORT The Masters (L), U.S. Open, PGA Championship and Open Championship trophies, pictured in 2011. (David Cannon/Getty Images) 101 days. That's how long golf's major season will last this year — from the moment Jack Nicklaus hit his ceremonial tee shot at Augusta to the moment the final putt drops on Sunday at the Open Championship. 101 days. 14 weeks. Doesn't seem quite right, does it? Golf's major season is a flurry of some of the finest drama and narrative the sports world can conjure … that vanishes just as you've settled into its rhythms. In baseball, 101 days from Opening Day doesn’t even get you to the All-Star break. In the NFL, the 101st day after this year's initial regular-season game falls the day before Week 15. Golf's most apples-to-apples comparison is with tennis, which — coincidentally enough — also has four majors: Wimbledon, plus the Australian, French and U.S. Opens. However, unlike golf, tennis' Grand Slam events stretch over eight months, from mid-January to September. The compact major schedule means it's difficult to appreciate the historical resonance of a career-defining win. Golfers don't get a Super Bowl champion parade; they get on a plane and head to their next tournament. The calendar also doesn't allow much of a slow build of anticipation. It's the sports equivalent of bingeing a TV show then waiting through a long, cold winter for the next go-round. Rory McIlroy signs autographs after a practice round at Royal Portrush ahead of this week's Open Championship. (Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile via Getty Images) What changes could be made? The tennis model would be nice, allowing for golf to extend its major season from winter all the way through late summer, from an American perspective. Nice, but also unrealistic. The problem is, there's not really much of an option to alter the golf calendar without doing something truly drastic — or, alternately, pushing around the PGA Championship. Granted, it's been done before; over the course of its 107 contests, the PGA has been played in nine different months — February, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December. But thanks to football's massive footprint and block-out-the-sun shadow, those last four months are off the table. The Masters owns April. The U.S. and British Opens have claimed June and July. The PGA moved from August back in 2019 because May is far more hospitable for far more courses than August, and because the PGA got tired of relocating for the Olympics every few years. A move back to February, combined with something exotic — match play, perhaps? — is interesting to contemplate, but the longest of long shots to consider. Alternately, the PGA could move back to August and potentially go international … but again, that requires the PGA to shoulder the burden of extending golf's calendar while the other three majors sit comfortably ensconced in their long-claimed months. So the reality is, now and for the foreseeable future, we have just four days of major championship golf remaining in the season. Yes, the Ryder Cup and the playoffs await, but there's just one more chance this year for a player to claim, or cement, his legacy. Put the coffee on, you won't want to miss this one. It's a long time until the azaleas bloom again. ? ALL-STAR BREAK WNBA POWER RANKINGS AT THE BREAK (Hassan Ahmad/Yahoo Sports) We've officially arrived at the WNBA All-Star break. Here's where each of the league's 13 teams sit in our latest power rankings, courtesy of Cassandra Negley. Phoenix Mercury (15-7): Their first season of the post-Diana Taurasi era is going gangbusters thanks to MVP candidate and Mercury newcomer Alyssa Thomas, who notched her record-extending 16th triple-double* last week followed by a career-high 29 points. New York Liberty (15-6): The defending champions have had an up-and-down campaign, starting 9-0 before dropping six of their next nine. But they've won three straight entering the break, and 2024 Finals MVP Jonquel Jones (ankle) is expected to return next week. Minnesota Lynx (20-4): Perhaps no team needs this break as much as the Lynx, who've played nine games in the last 16 days. They're led by MVP favorite Napheesa Collier, who's averaging career-highs in points (23.2) and blocks (1.6). Golden State Valkyries (10-12): The first expansion team since 2008 has impressed thanks to a defense that allows the second-fewest points in the league. If they keep this up, they could become the WNBA's first expansion team to make the playoffs in their debut season. Indiana Fever (12-11): Their record isn't what anyone expected, but that's what happens when Caitlin Clark misses 10 games to injury and six-time All-Star DeWanna Bonner requests her release a month into her Fever tenure. Can they right the ship in the second half? Atlanta Dream (13-9): First-year head coach Karl Smesko and three-time All-Star Allisha Gray — averaging career-highs in points (18.4), rebounds (5.6) and assists (4) — have the Dream trending toward their first winning season since 2018. Seattle Storm (14-9): They're 5-2 against the league's top-three teams, but just 5-4 in their last nine games, including a baffling loss to the cellar-dwelling Sun. Still, Wednesday's win pushed them into fourth place entering the break. Washington Mystics (11-11): Once looking lost at 5-8, they've rebounded to enter the break with a .500 record. Credit first-year head coach Sydney Johnson and rookie sensations Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen, the lone Mystics to start every game. Las Vegas Aces (11-11): Dynasties can't last forever, right? Three-time MVP A'ja Wilson has dominated as usual, but their defense has fallen from top-five last year to bottom-five this year and they're in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2018. Chicago Sky (7-15): Angel Reese is racking up double-doubles (nine straight and a league-best 15 this season), but that hasn't translated to wins for Chicago, whose defense and offense both rank in the bottom five. Dallas Wings (6-17): Rookie of the Year frontrunner Paige Bueckers has been great, but Dallas' veterans are struggling — none more than Arike Ogunbowale, who has battled injuries and inconsistency amid the worst season of her seven-year career. Los Angeles Sparks (8-14): Their offense, led by former Ace Kelsey Plum, has been solid, but their bottom-three defense kept them from winning two games in a row until this week. Still, progress is progress, and they've already matched last season's win total. Connecticut Sun (3-19): They didn't return a single starter from last year, so what did you expect? The lone bright spot is future Hall of Famer Tina Charles, who at 36 returned to the team where she started her career and leads them in scoring. *A league of her own: Thomas has more than one-third of all triple-doubles in WNBA history (16 of 44). No one else has more than four (Sabrina Ionescu), and just six other players have more than one: Candace Parker (3), Caitlin Clark (3), Chelsea Gray (2), Courtney Williams (2), Courtney Vandersloot (2), Sheryl Swoopes (2). ? MISSION ACCOMPLISHED JIMMY GRAHAM CROSSES THE ARCTIC Jimmy and his team. (The Arctic Challenge) Jimmy Graham's 13-year NFL career included five Pro Bowls, 8,545 receiving yards and 89 touchdowns, but nothing he did on the football field was quite as impressive as what he did over the last week-and-a-half in the Arctic Circle. Mission accomplished: The 38-year-old former tight end and his team completed the Arctic Challenge, rowing 518 nautical miles across the Arctic Ocean in a world record-shattering 10 days. The previous record for a team of four was over 15 days. Graham, former U.S. Navy Seal Andrew Tropp, and married couple Hannah and John Huppi (both former Team USA rowers) became the first mixed-gender team of four to row across the Arctic Ocean and raised $1 million to support youth in New Orleans. After training for 18 months, the crew set off from Tromsø, Norway, on July 4 and landed in Svalbard (a Norwegian archipelago) on July 14. They rowed nonstop in their 9.6-meter vessel, alternating in two-hour shifts and never sleeping for more than 90 minutes at a time. Thirst for adventure: Graham, who served as lead navigator during the trip despite the experience of his crewmates, is a bit of an adventure junkie. He owns 10 different aviation licenses and is an avid cyclist, though his next adventure is still to be determined. One option? A return to the NFL. He last played for the Saints in 2023 and never officially retired. ? VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: THURSDAY, JULY 17 Calamity Corner, the par-3 16th hole, highlights Dunluce Links' varied terrain. (Royal Portrush) ⛳️ The Open Championship | 4am-3:30pm ET, USA/Peacock The 153rd Open Championship is underway at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, where 156 golfers are competing for the Claret Jug and a $17 million purse in the season's fourth and final major. Notes: The course: Portrush's Dunluce Links, hosting its third Open (1951, 2019), is the only Open venue situated off the UK's mainland. It's also much less flat than most other links courses due to its setting amongst the dunes of the Causeway Coast. Hole-by-hole guide. The hometown heroes: Rory McIlroy grew up just an hour away and was the fan favorite back in 2019, but it was his good friend and countryman Shane Lowry who won his only major here six years ago. The favorite: This is the only major at which Scottie Scheffler has never finished inside the top three. He enters the week with 10 straight top-10s and the shortest odds to win the tournament since 2015 (+500 at BetMGM). Groups to watch: A majority of the field is already out there (or in the clubhouse), but three star-studded groups tee off in succession starting at 9:48am: (1) Robert MacIntyre, Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Rose; (2) Jordan Spieth, Ludvig Åberg, Viktor Hovland; (3) Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Tommy Fleetwood. Plus: ⚽️ Women's Euros: England vs. Sweden (3pm, Fox) … The second quarterfinal pits the defending champion Lionesses against the Swedes. ? Tour de France: Stage 12 (7:10am, Peacock) … The race enters the Pyrenees today with a 112-mile ride from Auch to Hautacam in southern France. ⚽️ THROWBACK THURSDAY SOCCER TRIVIA Question: The 14 teams pictured above played in which now-defunct soccer league? North American Soccer League (NASL) Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) Answer at the bottom. ? ON THIS DAY JULY 17, 1990: BO VS. DEION (Ron Vesely/MLB Photos via Getty Images) 35 years ago today, the two greatest multi-sport athletes of the modern era went head-to-head at Yankee Stadium — and they did not disappoint. Bo Jackson, in the midst of his fourth consecutive 20-homer season with the Royals, smacked three long balls. Deion Sanders, a rookie with the Yankees, hit an inside-the-park home run just past a diving Jackson in center field. Last dance: Sadly, these two generational athletes never got to replicate the magic of their 1990 encounter. While the younger Deion was just starting out, Bo's time in the NFL ended later that year when he suffered a devastating hip injury. He'd play three more abbreviated MLB seasons before calling it quits in 1994. Trivia answer: Major Indoor Soccer League (1978-1992) Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
Members phkrause Posted July 20, 2025 Author Members Posted July 20, 2025 > CBS will cancel "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," retiring the franchise in May 2026, citing financial reasons; the program is the most-watched late night franchise on US broadcast television (More) > Connie Francis, singer of "Stupid Cupid" and viral TikTok song "Pretty Little Baby," dies at age 87; Francis became the first woman in history to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1960 (More) | Bryan Braman, former Super Bowl-winning linebacker, dies of cancer at age 38 (More) > The 2025 WNBA All-Star festivities kick off tonight with the three-point contest and skills challenge (8 pm ET, ESPN), followed by tomorrow's All-Star Game (8:30 pm ET, ABC); star Caitlin Clark will miss weekend with injury (More) Title IX: Tomorrow's 1440 Society & Culture newsletter explores the 1972 legislation that dramatically expanded women's college sports. Sign up here to receive! Quote phkrause Read Isaiah 10:1-13
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