Members phkrause Posted July 30 Author Members Posted July 30 👋 Good morning! Happy Hump Day. In today's edition: The World Cup is for sale, Draymond's back in the Bay, the best fastball is baseball history, MLS All-Star Game, Madden's 99 Club, photo finish, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🏀 Draymond returns: Draymond Green has agreed to a one-year, $27.7 million contract with the Warriors after previously declining his player option of the same value to give the team the financial flexibility to pursue LeBron James this offseason. ⚽️ France hires Zizou: 28 years after helping France win the 1998 World Cup as a player, Zinedine Zidane has been named the new head coach of the national team, replacing Didier Deschamps. 🏈 NFL headlines: Aaron Rodgers confirmed that 2026 will be his final season; Eagles DE Jalen Carter (4 years, $152M) and Browns CB Denzel Ward (2 years, $62.2M) became the highest-paid players at their positions; Longtime Bucs DT Vita Vea requested a trade; Panthers great Luke Kuechly will be Netflix's top analyst for 2026. ⛳️ LIV to cancel finale: LIV Golf is reportedly set to cancel its season-ending $40 million team championship in Michigan next month amid its search for outside investment after the Saudi PIF pulls funding post-2026. 🏈 Tar Heels turmoil: UNC's football team is reportedly being investigated by the College Sports Commission, the entity that handles compliance and enforcement of NCAA and NIL rules. The program has also placed GM Mike Lombardi on paid leave following an HR complaint. ⚽️ THE GLOBAL GAME FIFA PUTS THE WORLD CUP UP FOR SALE (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images) Many thought that this summer's North American World Cup represented the peak of commercialization in soccer. As it turns out, it was perhaps only a plateau before a climb to much higher commercial summits ahead. Soccer for sale: FIFA, a not-for-profit institution, is exploring the formation of FIFA Forward Enterprise, an entity that would house all of the organization's commercial rights (broadcasting, sponsorships, ticketing, and licensing). In step with its formation, FIFA would sell a non-controlling minority stake in the entity to investors, with an initial capital raise up to $4.2 billion that values the organization at $20 billion. The investors: The expected lead investor is Thrive Eternal, a permanent capital vehicle recently established by Joshua Kushner's Thrive Capital, a successful technology-focused venture capital investor that has turned to sports in recent months. The commish: According to The Times, which broke the news, FIFA president Gianni Infantino would serve as the entity's commissioner when his term expires, potentially earning Goodell-level compensation. That possibility has invited stinging rebukes. Insurrection incoming? UEFA, the governing body of European football, voiced strenuous opposition to the potential deal. "The soul and governance of football are not assets to trade — especially with zero transparency as to who gains financially," UEFA said in a statement. "None of us are owners of football. It is not FIFA's to sell." The support of Europe, home to the reigning champion and many top teams, is not an insignificant matter, and a World Cup boycott is reportedly on the table. FIFA can also expect dissent from the fan community, which has rebelled against similar commercially oriented measures in the past. In club competition, the European Super League concept was effectively squashed by fan unrest before it could achieve liftoff. Bottom line: FIFA's commercial ambition was unlikely to recede after a massively successful World Cup. However, inviting private investors into the fold charts an irreversible course toward maximizing commercial aspirations. That may be too much for some member associations and fans to stomach, setting the stage for the ultimate and definitive clash between sporting tradition and financial largesse. ⚾️ FLAMETHROWER BEST FASTBALL EVER? NOBODY BEATS THE MIZ (John Fisher/Getty Images) It's actually not that common for the hardest-throwing starter in MLB to also be the best starter in MLB, but Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski appears to have reached that plane of dominance this season. Good luck, hitters: The NL Cy Young favorite has been utterly ridiculous all year (11-4, 1.58 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 185 K, 28 BB, 120 IP), thanks in large part to his triple-digit heater, which just might be the best fastball in the history of the sport. Wild stats: The Miz has hit triple digits on 42.1% of his four-seam fastballs this season. The only other starters who have ever reached double digits in that stat are Hunter Greene (16.9% in 2025) and Jacob deGrom (15.1% in 2023). Among starters in the pitch tracking era, Misiorowski is the all-time leader in fastballs with a perceived speed of at least 103 mph, with 710. Second-most is Jordan Hicks with… six. Jack Baer, Yahoo Sports: Misiorowski is the apex predator of pitch velocity, but that's not the only reason we're saying his fastball is better than any other in history. We can hear the coaches already, saying that fastballs are more than velocity. They're about placement. They're about trajectory. They're about movement. Well, he rates from good to elite on all of those, too. This is a pitcher who almost certainly throws harder than any pitcher in history, releases the ball as close to the plate as anyone, spins the ball as much as anyone and hits the good parts of the strike zone at a well-above-average rate. There have been other freak fastballs in history. Walter Johnson and Randy Johnson both threw elite velocities in their eras, from a place no batters were used to seeing the ball. The real key to a great fastball, or any pitch, is for it to do something the batter is not used to. And Misiorowski certainly does that in a way no other pitcher can replicate across history. Consider this: The Miz has been so good through 120 innings this season that if he posted a league-average ERA (4.21) for the remaining 42 innings he needs to qualify for the ERA title, he would still rank second in the NL in ERA and third in MLB. 💰 JERSEY SPONSORS PATCH PARTY: IRISH BEST BUCKEYES (Yahoo Sports) Ohio State unveiled a jersey patch partnership with JPMorganChase on Tuesday morning, a deal valued at more than $15 million annually, per Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger. It was the richest reported school-level patch deal in college sports… for five hours. Down goes Brutus: Ohio State's reign atop the collegiate-patch throne ended on Tuesday afternoon when Notre Dame announced a patch partnership with SoFi, worth an annual average of $18 to $20 million over six years, per Dellenger. What to watch: The vast majority of schools have yet to land patch partners. While the Big 12 struck a $20 million deal with Monster Energy at the conference level, the Ohio State and Notre Dame deals represent the first credible patch numbers for top-tier schools, potentially opening the floodgates for more agreements. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: WEDNESDAY, JULY 29 Charlotte' s Bank of America Stadium hosts North America's best tonight. (Krista Jasso/Getty Images) ⚽️ MLS All-Star Game The best of MLS (USA and Canada) and Liga MX (Mexico) will converge in Charlotte this evening (8pm ET, Apple) for regional bragging rights in the 2026 MLS All-Star Game, just days after North America hosted the World Cup. Head-to-head: The MLS All-Star roster features 29 players from 21 clubs, led by a team-high four from first-place Nashville. The Liga MX roster features 24 players from eight clubs, including five from reigning champions Cruz Azul. More to watch: ⚾️ MLB: Yankees at White Sox (7:40pm, Prime) … AL Cy Young favorite Cam Schlittler (10-6, 2.70 ERA) takes the mound against Davis Martin (9-5, 3.49 ERA) and the first-place Sox. 🏀 WNBA: Dream at Wings (8pm, USA); Valkyries at Mercury (10pm, USA) … Golden State (19-8) will look to stay hot after winning 9 of its last 10 games entering the All-Star break. ⚽️ NWSL: KC Current vs. Racing Louisville (8pm, CBSSN); Bay FC vs. Gotham FC (10pm, CBSSN) … Gotham (2nd) and KC (6th) are near the top of the table, while Bay (14th) and Louisville (16th) are near the bottom. 🎾 Tennis: Mubadala DC Open (11am, Tennis) … Taylor Fritz and Naomi Osaka headline today's Round of 16 action in the nation's capital. Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. 🎮 99 CLUB NFL TRIVIA (Hassan Ahmad/Yahoo Sports) Six NFL players will boast a 99 overall rating (highest possible) when "Madden NFL 27" releases on Aug. 13. Question: Can you name all six players pictured above? Answer at the bottom. 📸 THROUGH THE LENS PHOTO FINISH (Adam Pretty/Getty Images) 🏴 Glasgow, Scotland — Swimmers compete during the Men's 100m Breaststroke at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, where Australia currently leads the medal count by a wide margin (80), followed by England (44), Canada (35), South Africa (16) and Scotland (15). Trivia answer: Clockwise from top right: Josh Allen (Bills QB), Trey McBride (Cardinals TE), Matthew Stafford (Rams QB), Ja'Marr Chase (Bengals WR), Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Seahawks WR), Myles Garrett (Rams DE) Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted July 30 Author Members Posted July 30 👋 Good morning! Short and sweet edition for you today. In today's edition: Josh Pastner's viral comments, the NHL's new highest-paid player, NBA power rankings, MLB trade deadline watch, NFL refresher, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🏒 Celebrini cashes in: Sharks phenom Macklin Celebrini, 20, is set to become the NHL's highest-paid player ($18.8 million per season) after inking a five-year, $94 million extension with the team. ⚽️ MLS wins All-Star clash: The MLS All-Stars beat the Liga MX All-Stars, 4-3, in Charlotte behind two goals from LAFC star Son Heung-Min. It was a repeat of their win over the same team last year, and their fourth win in five matchups since 2021. 🏀 Kawhi saga update: The NBA's investigation into Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers could reportedly extend into 2027. Such a delay would likely throw a wrench in the proposed trade to send Leonard back to the Raptors, which is currently on hold. ⚾️ Trade alert: The last-place Angels are sending starting catcher Logan O'Hoppe and relief pitcher Chase Silseth to the Rangers in exchange for infield prospect Angel Arredondo. The sell-off has begun in Anaheim. ⚽️ Poch contract talks: Mauricio Pochettino is reportedly "close" to finalizing a deal with the USMNT that would keep him under contract through the 2030 World Cup. 🏀 PAY TO PLAY A COLLEGE HOOPS TEAM FOR SALE? IT COULD HAPPEN (Ethan Miller/Getty Images) UNLV men's basketball coach Josh Pastner went viral over the weekend after suggesting that potential owners trying to buy an NBA expansion team in Las Vegas should instead "buy" Pastner's program for $10-12 million, writes Yahoo Sports' Dan Wolken. "You don't have to spend over a billion dollars to own our team," Pastner said in an interview with KTNV in Vegas. "You still get a great tax write-off and you can be as involved, and you can tell everyone you're the owner of the team." Walking it back: After some backlash to his comments — and after calls started rolling in from wealthy folks who had taken him literally when he talked about the opportunity to "buy" the team — Pastner issued a clarification on Monday. "We're not for sale!" he told Yahoo Sports. "I was saying it more, like, tongue-in-cheek. We need support, but we're really not for sale. The model's not set up for that." State of play: Most of us who follow college sports closely understood what Pastner was trying to say. In the practically unregulated NIL era, where programs are spending as much on rosters as their donors are willing to give, it only takes one person with a wide open checkbook to become the de facto "owner" of a college team. Just look at Texas Tech and the millions upon millions that mega-booster Cody Campbell has poured into NIL funding. No, he doesn't "own" the Red Raiders. But everyone understands he's the person most responsible for making them nationally competitive in football, men's basketball and softball. "It's just a new day and age in college athletics," Pastner said. "Obviously teams can't be for sale. This is the students' team, the alumni's team, UNLV's team. No one can ever own the team. But it's interesting that it went viral. I just think that's the change in the landscape. Every program in the country is looking for ways to get more support financially." Jerry Tarkanian turned UNLV basketball into a national brand in the 1970s. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images) Pastner is wrong about one thing. The idea of buying and selling college teams like pro franchises isn't that far-fetched anymore. In a sense, it's already in motion. Utah finalized a nine-figure deal with Otro Capital earlier this year, forming a new company that will handle revenue-generating aspects of the athletic program. Michigan State just unveiled a new athletic department structure with $100 million in seed money, part of which is a for-profit subsidiary called Spartan Media Ventures where investors will get a return. Next month, LSU is gathering donors at the governors' mansion for a "first look at an alternative revenue-generating opportunity" that's expected to include some type of structure where investors/donors could buy a "share" of a privatized athletic department. Bottom line: Given the increasing cost pressures to compete now, it's not a huge leap to think a desperate school that just wants to win — but can't really afford it with its donor base — might actually be willing to "sell" its football or basketball program. 🏀 EAST VS. WEST NBA POWER RANKINGS (Amy Monks/Yahoo Sports) LeBron James is headed back East to a conference that is much better than it was during his previous stints in Cleveland and Miami. In fact, for the first time in forever, the East looks deeper than the West. East rankings. (Mallory Bielecki/Yahoo Sports) The East may be deeper, but the West still boasts the league's two title favorites in San Antonio and Oklahoma City. How will the rest of the conference shake out? West rankings. ⚾️ BUY, SELL, HOLD MLB TRADE DEADLINE: 4 DAYS OUT Tarik Skubal may have pitched his final game as a Tiger on Wednesday. (Detroit Tigers) Tick tock. No matter how much MLB front offices would prefer to procrastinate, time is running out for them to upgrade their rosters via trade before the deadline arrives at 6pm ET on Monday. Jordan Shusterman, Yahoo Sports: To be fair, these vacillating executives have more time than ever to determine their deadline strategies. For years, the deadline fell on July 31, but now the league can place the deadline on any day between July 28 and Aug. 3 to avoid conflicting with games. And this year, the stopping point for swaps comes on the latest possible date. This means teams this season will play more games before the deadline than ever before — roughly 112 games, which is five to 10 more on average than when the deadline was always July 31 — giving them more information to determine their plan but also fewer games on the other side to chase down a playoff spot. Recent history indicates that the bulk of the transactions will not take place until the final 48-72 hours before Monday's deadline. But teams need to decide soon whether their goal is to upgrade the major-league team, make moves focused on the future or something in between. Good reads: Skubal sweepstakes: Breaking down who can, who should and who will acquire Detroit's ace Deadline tiers: Sorting out all 30 teams, from aggressive buyers to full-on sellers Trade candidates: Top 25 players who could be moved at the deadline 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: THURSDAY, JULY 30 (Luke Walker/Getty Images) ⛳️ Women's British Open The fifth and final major of the LPGA season is currently underway (4am ET, Golf/USA) at Royal Lytham and St. Annes in Lancashire, England, where a loaded field is competing for a $10 million purse. Meanwhile, in Michigan: The PGA Tour's Rocket Classic tees off this morning (7am, ESPN+/Golf) at Detroit Golf Club, the penultimate stop before the playoffs. More to watch: ⚾️ MLB: Nationals at Braves (7:15pm, ESPN) … The Nats (55-54) have far exceeded expectations and sit just two games out of the wild card. 🏀 WNBA: Lynx at Tempo (8pm, Prime); Liberty at Aces (10pm, Prime) … Minnesota, Las Vegas and New York are the three favorites to win the title. 🎾 Tennis: Mubadala DC Open (11am, Tennis) … Americans Jessica Pegula (No. 1 seed) and Ben Shelton (No. 2) headline today's Round of 16 action. Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. 🏀 MERCH MADNESS TRIVIA TIME (Amber Matsumoto/Yahoo Sports) LeBron James' Sixers jersey set a new Fanatics record (across all sports) for jersey sales in the first 48 hours after a player changed teams. Question: Which athlete previously held the record for first-48-hour jersey sales? Hint: 2023. Answer at the bottom. 🏈 TRAINING CAMP NFL REFRESHER (Josh Heim/Yahoo Sports) With every NFL team officially at training camp, we recapped the biggest moves of the offseason and answered one burning question for each club. Trivia answer: Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers No. 17) Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted August 2 Author Members Posted August 2 🎉 Yahoo! It's Friday! You made it. Notable quotable: "The Big Ten is the best league in football," Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said at Big Ten media days, taking a direct shot at the SEC. "We don't run a hype machine up here in the Midwest. We believe everything's earned, not given. And when we fall short, we say, 'We fell short.' We don't cry a river and whine and complain. And that's why we're the best." In today's edition: Clemens blasts ultimate grand slam, Atlanta's surprising QB1, the launch of women's pro baseball, remembering The National Sports Daily, Vlad Jr.'s power outage, IFL Playoffs on Yahoo Sports, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... ⚾️ ULTIMATE GRAND SLAM A KID'S DREAM (David Berding/Getty Images) Kody Clemens achieved every kid's dream on Thursday when he hit the most ultimate of "ultimate grand slams" to lift the Twins to victory in front of their home fans. Storybook ending: Down 3-0 in the ninth, and facing an 0-2 count with two outs, Clemens blasted a grand slam into the seats in right center field. This was the 34th "ultimate grand slam" in MLB history, which is a walk-off grand slam to erase a three-run deficit. It was also only the 15th ultimate grand slam with two outs (an ultimate-ultimate grand slam?), which is rarer than a perfect game. And Clemens was down 0-2 when wood hit ball, making this rarer still. In fact, that’s never happened in the pitch-by-pitch era, and the only other instance I could find was in 1986.* Bottom line: We're basically talking about the kind of home run that 7-year-olds fantasize about while hitting off their dad in the backyard. In Kody's case, dad happened to be a seven-time Cy Young winner (Roger). *Flashback: On Aug. 29, 1986, Dick Schofield hit a walk-off grand slam (with two outs and an 0-2 count) to lift the Angels past the Tigers, 13-12. Like Clemens, Dick's dad was also a former big leaguer. 🏈 TRAINING CAMP WELCOME TO THE NFL (Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) Training camp is an opportunity for long shots and feel-good stories to make their names, and there might be no lesser-known QB receiving first-team reps than Jack Strand. Eric Edholm, Yahoo Sports: With the Falcons' top two QBs, Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr., held out of full-team practice Thursday, Strand found himself handing off to Bijan Robinson and throwing to the likes of Drake London and Kyle Pitts. Not bad for an undrafted rookie who less than a year ago was facing Division II defenses at Minnesota State Moorhead. When the Falcons opened camp, Tagovailoa was dealing with some back tightness and Penix Jr. was not yet cleared for full-team activities. It left Strand as the only healthy QB on the roster after the team released Trevor Siemian. Next man up: The Falcons were so short of arms on Thursday that president of football Matt Ryan stepped up to deliver some passes. No, Ryan isn't a QB option this season, head coach Kevin Stefanski joked, and it remains to be seen if Strand even will be. But for now, this relatively unknown QB is getting his chance to shine. 📈 WOMEN'S SPORTS A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN (Caleb Bowlin/Getty Images) The ranks of U.S. women's sports leagues will grow this weekend with the launch of the Women's Pro Baseball League. Unlike 70 years ago, when women's baseball last played professionally, the WPBL enters a thriving landscape for pro women's sports. (Sage Zipeto/Getty Images) 🏀 WNBA The W's success is evident in its viewership, attendance, and groundbreaking CBA. Leading into the All-Star break, viewership was up 12% year-over-year, while attendance had grown 13%. Both figures are unrecognizable relative to the start of the decade, as is player pay, with the average WNBA salary up 450% since 2020. Denver Summit FC's inaugural home game drew an NWSL record 63,004 fans. (David Zalubowski/AP) ⚽️ NWSL Through the first half of its season, the NWSL is averaging 11,044 fans per match, up 10% over last year. If sustained for the full season, it would be the fourth consecutive year over 10,000. (Troy Parla/Getty Images) 🏒 PWHL The PWHL averaged 9,304 fans per game in its third regular season, up 28% over the prior year and 71% over the inaugural season. In June, the league welcomed its first outside investment, reportedly amounting to over $100 million. Plus: ⛳ LPGA: This weekend's British Open will pay a record $10 million purse, completing a clean sweep of record prize money at this year's majors. 🥎 Softball: The AUSL's title game became the most-viewed professional softball game on record, averaging 732,000 viewers on ABC last weekend. 🏈 Flag football: Sunday's title game for the girls high school division drew 1.12 million viewers, proving why the NFL and TMRW Sports are partnering to launch a pro league. ⚽️ World Cup: Netflix is reportedly paying $200 million for the U.S. and Canadian broadcast rights to the 2027 Women's World Cup. 🏈 WEEKEND WATCHLIST ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL? (Yahoo Sports) The 2026 Indoor Football League playoffs kick off in earnest this weekend, with four games airing on Yahoo Sports Network (free to watch!). It's the perfect way to ease your brain back into football mode as we hurtle toward the fall. 🗞️ PAPER BOY BLAST FROM THE PAST I bought the final edition of The National, the short-lived American sports daily newspaper that ran from January 31, 1990 to June 13, 1991. Let's take a look inside… "This is the Air Terra trail running shoe from Nike. Civilized, it ain't." The biggest news story in that final edition: The Bulls beating the Lakers in five games to capture the 1991 NBA title. Those box scores are glorious… (see more pages) Good read: The Greatest Paper That Ever Died (Grantland) 💵 REVENUE RACE TRIVIA TIME (Angel Martinez/Getty Images) Real Madrid revealed this week that it printed nearly $1.4 billion in revenue for the 2025-26 season, a number most professional sports teams could only dream of hitting. Question: Two North American sports teams have reportedly breached the $1 billion mark in annual revenue. Who are they? Hint: NFL and MLB. Answer at the bottom. ⚾️ GOOSE EGG VLAD JR.'S POWER OUTAGE (Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports) The only three MLB batters without a home run at home this season (min. 200 plate appearances): Luis Arraez (Giants) Chandler Simpson (Rays) Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Blue Jays) One of these is not like the others. While Arraez (an elite contact hitter) and Simpson (zero career HR) are not known for their power, Guerrero is. Or, at least he was. After averaging 32 homers over the last five seasons, the Blue Jays star has just six this year — all on the road. He has 25 home games left to avoid going a full season without a dinger in Toronto. Trivia answer: Cowboys and Dodgers Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted August 4 Author Members Posted August 4 🍿 1 fun thing: Spidey beats Avengers Left to right: Sadie Sink, Jon Bernthal, Tom Holland, Zendaya and Jacob Batalon at last week's L.A. premiere of "Spider-Man: Brand New Day." Photo: Amy Sussman/Getty Images "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" swung to a record-setting $360 million domestic opening weekend, topping the $357 million mark set by 2019's "Avengers: Endgame" (not adjusted for inflation). The Tom Holland-led flick finds the webslinger protecting New York City with renewed anonymity, new powers and new enemies. 💰 "Brand New Day" looks likely to overtake "Toy Story 5" for the top-grossing movie of the year, with Woody and Buzz's latest adventure sitting at $461.7 million. Go deeper. Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted August 4 Author Members Posted August 4 👋 Good morning! Welcome back. In today's edition: Dodgers add Skubal, FIFA plan axed, college sports legislation, Aaron Donald buzz building, Women's Pro Baseball begins, Red Sox on fire, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES ⚽️ FIFA fallout: FIFA president Gianni Infantino's controversial plan to allow private investors to buy a stake in the World Cup is dead on arrival, and the backlash has been so severe that it could ultimately result in Infantino being ousted from his post. 🎙️ Romo placed on leave: CBS Sports has placed Tony Romo on leave "until further notice" following his recent arrest for a suspected OWI (operating while intoxicated). With Romo on leave, JJ Watt will take his place in the booth alongside Jim Nantz. ⛳️ Kuwaki wins first major: Japan's Shiho Kuwaki bested Germany's Esther Henseleit in a playoff to win the Women's British Open at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, capturing not only her first major championship but her first LPGA Tour title of any kind. 🏈 Clowney returns to Houston: Jadeveon Clowney is signing a one-year deal with the Texans, reuniting the pass rusher with the team that selected him No. 1 overall in 2014. Clowney, who tallied 8.5 sacks last year in Dallas, joins a defense that allowed the fewest yards in the NFL last season. 🏀 Phoenix adds Plum: The Los Angeles Sparks shipped Kelsey Plum to the Phoenix Mercury ahead of Sunday's WNBA trade deadline, making the five-time All-Star the highest-scoring player (23.9 ppg) ever traded midseason. ⚾️ TRADE DEADLINE THE RICH, ONCE AGAIN, GET RICHER (Yahoo Sports) Baseball's unapologetic behemoth got even more imposing, infuriating and inevitable late Saturday night. Tarik Skubal, he of the back-to-back AL Cy Young awards, is now a Los Angeles Dodger. The rich, once again, have gotten richer, writes Yahoo Sports' Jake Mintz. The trade: All it took for the Dodgers to acquire the deadline's top prize was three prospects, and none inside their top four — a luxury granted by the fact that they simultaneously have MLB's best team and its best farm system. Detroit gets Double-A OF Zyhir Hope (L.A.'s No. 5 prospect), Triple-A RHP River Ryan (No. 7) and High-A RHP Brady Smith (No. 17). Los Angeles gets two months (plus the postseason) of arguably the best pitcher in the sport, as well as first dibs at signing him to a long-term deal. Embarrassment of riches: With Skubal and Shohei Ohtani in the fold, the 2026 Dodgers are now the first team with both a reigning MVP and a reigning Cy Young since the 2014 Tigers (Miguel Cabrera, Max Scherzer). And they're the first ever to boast reigning back-to-back winners of both awards. All in, this roster's laundry list of accolades is quite a sight to behold. 50 All-Star appearances 19 Silver Sluggers 9 Gold Gloves 6 MVPs 4 Cy Youngs 4 ERA Titles 3 Reliever of the Years 1 Pitching Triple Crown 1 Batting Title Good luck, hitters: Four of the eight lowest ERAs since 2022 (min. 50 starts) belong to Ohtani (2.53), Skubal (2.64), Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2.70) and Blake Snell (2.82), who form the backbone of the Dodgers' preposterous rotation. That talented group should continue to pair well with an offense that has, you'll never guess, the best average and OPS in the majors. Chasing history: The Dodgers are now overwhelming World Series favorites (+140) as they attempt to become the first team to three-peat since the 1998-2000 Yankees. The cost of that pursuit? An astonishing $611 million in payroll expenses ($430.5M) and luxury tax payments ($180.5M). Their tax bill alone is more than 14 teams will pay their entire rosters this season. More deadline deals: The Cubs acquired RHP Kevin Gausman from the Blue Jays … the White Sox acquired RHP Luis Castillo from the Mariners … the Rays acquired RHP Freddy Peralta from the Mets … the Yankees acquired INF Luis García Jr. from the Nationals. Follow along with our live tracker before today's 6pm ET deadline. 🎓 CAPITOL HILL SEC, BIG TEN BACK COLLEGE SPORTS BILL NCAA president Charlie Baker (L) and Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti during a Senate Judiciary Hearing. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) The following is an excerpt from Yahoo Sports Biz, our new sports business newsletter authored by Dylan Dittrich. Sign up here to get on the list. After weeks of negotiations, it appeared the Protect College Sports Act's chances of rallying the Big Ten and SEC's support this summer were slim. But a stunning about-face finally came at the eleventh hour, which could send the landmark legislation to the Senate floor next week. Big guns on board: The two conferences issued a statement of support for the bill as currently drafted on Friday night, revitalizing its fading pulse and ending the scramble around the bipartisan legislation designed to regulate the college sports industry. What we know: The key provisions of the bill have crystallized, according to reporting from Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger. The cap: The money that schools can spend on players now includes the original $21.3 million cap, a $22.5 million retention pool, and $5 million to be spent on women's and non-revenue sports. Those pools total $48.8 million, a 129% increase. Related entities: The larger cap is intended to prevent circumvention by including all athlete deals with universities and associated entities, such as multimedia rights partners, corporate sponsors and apparel brands. Affiliated brands can ink deals with athletes outside of the cap, but they must attest that those deals are not school-funded or directed. Transfer and eligibility limits: The bill would grant the NCAA and conferences a limited antitrust exemption to re-implement the one-time transfer exception, standardize a five-year eligibility policy, and ban professional athletes from returning to college. Conference expansion: The legislation caps power conference membership at 19 schools and requires those programs moving from one power league to another to operate as an independent for five years. What we don't know: Schools have seemingly never played by the rules. Will formal codification from Congress be the silver bullet that ensures compliance? There are also still question marks about the bill's potential opposition from the plaintiffs in the House settlement. In other major NCAA news… College athletes who graduated high school in 2022 and exhausted their eligibility last season have been granted a federal preliminary injunction to play a fifth season, meaning hundreds of athletes who thought their playing careers were over could soon be headed back to campus. The NCAA plans to appeal the decision. 📸 SNAPSHOTS THROUGH THE LENS Maybelle Blair throws out the first pitch. (Jessie Alcheh/Getty Images) Springfield, Illinois — The Women's Pro Baseball League debuted over the weekend, 72 years after the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League shuttered. The ceremonial first pitch was thrown by 99-year-old Maybelle Blair, the former AAGPBL player who inspired the league's mascot. (Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images) Los Angeles, California — Could Aaron Donald really come out of retirement to play alongside Myles Garrett on the Rams? No decision has been made yet, but "things are going in the right direction, and if there's an arrow, it's trending upwards," said head coach Sean McVay. (Harry Figiel/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images) Chicago, Illinois — Former Barcelona and Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski bagged a brace in his Chicago Fire home debut, lifting his team to a 2-1 victory over conference foe Charlotte FC. 💯 STAT SHEET BIG NUMBERS (Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) ⚾️ 21-4 The Red Sox went a blistering 21-4 in July, logging the franchise's best-ever winning percentage in a full calendar month (.840). And after sweeping the mighty Dodgers, they're off to a 2-0 start in August. Historic turnaround: Boston (60-51) entered July in the basement of the AL East. They now have a solid grip on the AL's second wild card spot after becoming the first team in MLB history to enter a month 10+ games under .500 and leave that month 3+ games over .500. ⛳️ 7 aces Most golfers will never hit a single hole-in-one at any point in their lives. On Friday at the Rocket Classic, Matt Kuchar carded the seventh ace of his career, tied for the most on the PGA Tour since 2005. Fan for life: Kuch brought a young fan inside the ropes to fetch the ball from the cup, giving seven-year-old Casimer Daniewski a memory that will last a lifetime. 🏀 10 straight wins The first-place Lynx won their 10th straight game on Sunday, snapping the Fever's own five-game winning streak with a 108-100 victory in a clash between the league's top two offenses. As usual, ROY frontrunner Olivia Miles (28-4-6) led the way. Top of the standings: Minnesota (25-6) has built a comfortable four-game lead over Las Vegas (20-9) and Golden State (20-9), and sits 5.5 games ahead of Atlanta (18-10), Dallas (19-11) and Indiana (19-11). 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: MONDAY, AUG. 3 (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) 🎾 DC Open, Finals The rain-delayed finals will resume today (12pm ET, Tennis) in the nation's capital, where No. 1 Jessica Pegula leads Alex Eala, 6-4, 1-2. When that match ends, No. 3 Taylor Fritz will take on Spanish teenager Rafael Jódar in the men's final. Quick turnaround: All four players are also competing in the Canadian Open, which began Sunday in Montreal (men) and Toronto (women). But their schedules should not be affected, as those events also experienced rain delays. More to watch: ⚾️ MLB: Giants at Rangers (8pm, ESPN) … One of eight games today as teams take the field just after the trade deadline passes. 🏀 WNBA: Aces at Dream (7pm, NBCSN) … Fourth-place Atlanta goes for its sixth straight win in a matchup against second-place Las Vegas. ⚾ TRADING PLACES TRIVIA TIME (Hassan Ahmad/Yahoo Sports) Tarik Skubal is just the sixth reigning Cy Young to be traded in the middle of the season, with the last such instance coming three years ago. Question: Which reigning Cy Young award winner was traded during the 2023 season? Hint: NL East to AL West. Answer at the bottom. 🍿 TOP PLAYS HIGHLIGHT REEL (MLB) Guardians right fielder Angel Martínez made a spectacular catch in foul territory on Friday night in Cleveland, leaping into the netting to secure the grab. Honorable Mention: ⚽️ MLS: Montreal's Brayan Vera with a wonder strike from way downtown 🏀 WNBA: Undrafted rookie Sydney Taylor wins it at the buzzer for Chicago 🎾 DC Open: Alejandro Tabilo with one of the best tweener lobs you'll ever see Trivia answer: Justin Verlander (traded from the Mets to the Astros) Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted August 4 Author Members Posted August 4 > Mauricio Pochettino to continue coaching the US men's national soccer team through the 2030 World Cup (More) | How the 54-year-old Argentine became the US coach (More) > Philadelphia Phillies land three-time batting champion Luis Arraez and Boston Red Sox snag three-time All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman ahead of MLB trade deadline (More, w/all trades graded) > Ariana Grande pulls out of London musical and steps back from the public eye, citing public scrutiny; the 33-year-old singer has faced ongoing commentary about her physical appearance (More) Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted August 5 Author Members Posted August 5 👋 Good morning! How'd your team do at the trade deadline? In today's edition: Olivia vs. Caitlin, MLB trade deadline recap, MLS elects new commissioner, horse racing's Triple Crown may be dead in the water, college fantasy football drafts are live, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES ⚽️ MLS names new commissioner: MLS owners have elected LAFC co-owner Larry Berg as the league's next commissioner. Berg will succeed Don Garber, who has held the position since 1999 and will remain in the role through the end of the season. ⚽️ Four more years: Mauricio Pochettino has agreed to a new contract to remain the USMNT's head coach through the 2030 World Cup. Despite the team's ugly exit last month, Poch's three World Cup wins are the most ever by a USMNT head coach. ⚾️ Harper's new position: The Phillies have one too many infielders following Monday's acquisition of Luis Arráez, so Bryce Harper will be moving from first base to his former position in right field for the remainder of the season. 🎾 Eala's historic victory: Alex Eala upset top-seeded Jessica Pegula in the DC Open final to become the first Filipino tennis player (man or woman) to win a singles title. On the men's side, Taylor Fritz defeated Rafael Jódar for his 11th career title. 🏀 Bosh's warning for Wemby: Chris Bosh said that he "almost dropped dead" from a blood clot in January, and urged Victor Wembanyama to stay on top of his condition, which forced him to miss nearly half of the 2024-25 season. "Take your medicine," Bosh said. "Make sure that doesn't happen again because it only takes one more time." 🏀 EMBRACE DEBATE IS OLIVIA MILES THE BEST ROOKIE EVER? Clark defends Miles during Sunday's game. (Abbie Parr/AP) Two years ago, we witnessed arguably the best rookie season in WNBA history. Is it already being eclipsed? Miles bests Clark: The first-place Lynx (25-6) defeated the Fever (19-11) on Sunday for their 10th straight win, as Olivia Miles (28-4-6) outdueled Caitlin Clark (19-1-10) in the first matchup between this year's No. 2 pick and the third-year superstar. Tale of the tape: For Miles, it was just the latest impressive performance in a season that is sure to earn her Rookie of the Year — as well as serious MVP consideration — and might even top Clark's 2024 campaign as perhaps the best ever by a first-year player. Miles: In 29 games, Minnesota's point guard is averaging 19.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.7 blocks and 3 turnovers. Her shooting splits are 50.2% FG, 38% 3PT and 87.5% FT — in shouting distance of the third 50/40/90 season in league history. Clark: In 40 games as a rookie in 2024, Indiana's point guard averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 8.4 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.7 blocks and 5.6 turnovers. Her shooting splits were 41.7% FG, 34.4% 3PT and 90.6% FT. You be the judge: Their scoring, rebounding, steals and blocks are a wash, with Clark the more effective distributor and Miles the more efficient shooter and better caretaker of the ball. Miles is also leading a first-place juggernaut, while Clark's Fever went 20-20 her rookie year. Big picture: No discussion of "best rookie season ever" is complete without mentioning the likes of Candace Parker (2008), Tamika Catchings (2002), A'ja Wilson (2018) and Breanna Stewart (2016), among others. And we can add reigning ROY Paige Bueckers to that list, making it three straight years with an all-time great rookie campaign. The last word: "She just sees the game," says Parker, who remains the only rookie to win MVP. "For her to play so well in a position that is so sought-after is special." Dawn Staley had a more visceral reaction to watching the rookie's sensational play on Sunday: "[Olivia Miles] got me in my house cursing on a Sunday. Lord have mercy!" ⚾️ NEW FACES, NEW PLACES DEADLINE DAY: WHO WENT WHERE? (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) Another MLB trade deadline has come and gone, with more than 60 deals being completed. 5 biggest trades: Dodgers acquire SP Tarik Skubal from Tigers Red Sox acquire C Adley Rutschman from Orioles Rays acquire SP Freddy Peralta from Mets Cubs acquire SP Kevin Gausman from Blue Jays Cubs acquire SP Clay Holmes, OF Tyrone Taylor from Mets Further reading: 50 biggest trades Grading every team Winners and losers Team-by-team tracker: Who's in and who's out for all 30 rosters 🐎 END OF AN ERA? HORSE RACING'S TRIPLE CROWN MAY BE DEAD IN THE WATER (Heather Diehl/Getty Images) Over the last few years, the concept of winning the Triple Crown has been fading among horse racing's stakeholders. On Monday, Churchill Downs Inc. and the New York Racing Association might have delivered its death blow. Dan Wolken, Yahoo Sports: In announcing a joint partnership for a six-race series beginning in 2027 with a $5 million bonus attached to the end of it, one entity was notably missing: The Preakness. The six races will cover the Kentucky Derby on May 2; the Belmont Stakes on June 5; back to Churchill for the Matt Winn stakes in early July; the Jim Dandy and Travers Stakes at Saratoga in late July/August; and then a newly created race to finish the series at Churchill in September. As for the Preakness, the second jewel of the Triple Crown? Well, it still exists, but the traditional timing of the race — two weeks after the Kentucky Derby — has become incompatible with the way modern trainers manage their thoroughbreds. Golden Tempo and Sovereignty, the last two Derby winners, both skipped the Preakness, as did Rich Strike in 2022. Sources told Yahoo Sports that the Maryland Jockey Club was close to announcing a move that would have pushed the Preakness to three weeks after the Kentucky Derby. But Monday's announcement — which leaves the Belmont in its traditional placement five weeks after the Derby — suggests the coordination among Triple Crown stakeholders was only a two-way conversation with Maryland being frozen out. As one industry source told Yahoo Sports: "The bigger picture here is the wider future of the sport, and Maryland just ain't it. You could still run in the Preakness and win the series, but Maryland is on an island. They're by themselves. They run one big race a year. We can't let these traditional elements of the sport be anchors for its future, and you can argue we've let it go on for too long." 🏈 BACK TO SCHOOL COLLEGE FANTASY FOOTBALL DRAFTS ARE LIVE! Great news: Drafts are now open for Yahoo College Fantasy Football! The traditional fantasy football you know and love, designed for the college game. Create or join a league now. How it works: Like NFL Fantasy Football, our new college version is a season-long game with head-to-head weekly matchups. Drafts, trades and waiver pickups work the same way, and the scoring system is similar. Player pool: Draftable players include those from all 68 teams in the Power 4 leagues (SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, ACC), plus Notre Dame. New position added: In addition to drafting individual players and a defense, there's also a roster spot for "Team Offense," rewarding team-level aggregate scoring. Expanded rosters: Whereas traditional fantasy football rosters have 15 spots, the college game has 18, reflecting a sport that has more stars than ever. Robert Griffin III is going back to school, thanks to Yahoo Fantasy Football. (Yahoo Sports) Play now: Drafts are live, and our experts have a strategy guide and player rankings to help get you ready to win your league when scoring starts in Week 1 on Sept. 3. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: TUESDAY, AUG. 4 (Joseph Raines/Yahoo Sports) There's little else to watch today besides a full 15-game MLB slate, headlined by Tarik Skubal's Dodgers debut (8:05pm ET, TBS) at Wrigley Field in a battle of NL contenders. Elsewhere: The Yankees, whose injury-depleted lineup has been fortified by newly-acquired lefty slugger Luis García Jr., host the Cardinals (7:05pm); the surging Red Sox host the first-place White Sox (7:10pm); the Diamondbacks host the Padres in a clash of NL West foes and wild card contenders (9:40pm). ⚾ BATTING CHAMP TRIVIA TIME (Jay Biggerstaff/Getty Images) Luis Arráez, acquired by the Phillies at the deadline, is one of just two players in MLB's modern era (since 1900) to win a batting title in both leagues. Question: Can you name the other? Hint: 2016 and 2020. Answer at the bottom. 📸 THROUGH THE LENS PHOTO FINISH Miguel Garcia dives from the 27.5-meter platform during the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series stop in Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina. (Romina Amato/Red Bull via Getty Images) Spot the cliff diver. Trivia answer: DJ LeMahieu (Rockies in 2016, Yankees in 2020) Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted August 6 Author Members Posted August 6 👋 Good morning! Happy Hump Day. In today's edition: Skenes is slumping, Caitlin Clark just wants to "shut up and dribble," Bijan gets mega-extension, Buckeyes top preseason poll, World Dog Surfing Championships, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES ⚾️ Skubal loses Dodgers debut: Tarik Skubal pitched well in his Dodgers debut (6 IP, 2 ER), but his new team's bats went silent in a 5-1 loss to the Cubs. And the fans at Wrigley Field gave him and the Dodgers a taste of what's to come the rest of the season, raining boos down on the team that "ruined baseball." 🏈 Mega extensions: The Falcons gave Bijan Robinson a three-year extension worth up to $75M, making him the highest-paid RB ever; The Ravens gave Zay Flowers a four-year, $140M extension with $108M guaranteed, the most ever for a WR; The Bears gave Darnell Wright a four-year, $116M extension, the richest ever for a right tackle. 🎾 Alcaraz withdraws: Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from the upcoming Cincinnati Open due to his lingering wrist injury, despite it reportedly being "completely healed" for the past few weeks. His status for the U.S. Open remains up in the air. 🏀 Cleveland Sirens: Cleveland's WNBA expansion franchise will be called the Sirens, named for "Lake Erie's power and pull." The league's 16th team is set to debut in 2028, followed by additional expansion clubs in 2029 (Detroit) and 2030 (Philadelphia). ⛳️ Koivun's latest honor: PGA Tour rookie Jackson Koivun, currently in the hunt for a spot in the FedEx Cup Playoffs, was named the SEC Male Athlete of the Year, becoming the first golfer to win the award in its 51-year history, and the first Auburn athlete to win it since Bo Jackson in 1986. ⚾️ SLUMPING ACE WHAT'S WRONG WITH PAUL SKENES? (Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) Paul Skenes takes the mound today in unfamiliar territory. For the first time in his brief but brilliant career, Pittsburgh's ace is legitimately struggling. A month to forget: The reigning NL Cy Young pitched to a 6.25 ERA in six July starts — 6.38 if you include his final sub-par outing of June. That's raised his season-long ERA from 2.86 to 3.90, and put a massive dent in his chances of winning another Cy Young this year. It hasn't been all bad, as Skenes mixed three victories into the middle of his month, but he's suddenly allowing far more men to reach base, and then struggling to keep them from scoring. While he remains an elite strikeout merchant, his hit and walk rates have nearly doubled, allowing 1.2 hits per inning in his last seven starts (up from 0.73 in his first 16) and issuing 0.38 walks per inning (up from 0.2). Wild stat: Skenes has allowed 5+ earned runs as many times in his last six starts (3) as he did in the first 72 starts of his career. What's causing this? Skenes' slump is likely due, at least indirectly, to his velocity being way down. After throwing 1,552 pitches at 98+ mph across his first two seasons (an average of 28 per start), he's thrown just 95 such pitches this year (4 per start). On the one hand, he said recently that "I don't think velocity is something I need to pitch well," and there are numbers that lend credence to that claim: His opponent batting average and slugging percentage against his four-seamer are in line with career norms. But the issue is how that dip in velocity affects the rest of his arsenal. Indeed, batters are crushing his offspeed pitches this season (.286 AVG and .397 SLG, up from .189/.250 last year), as they no longer need to sell out for a triple-digit heater. Looking ahead: The worst-case scenario is that Skenes, like so many other young flamethrowers, is beginning to show the signs of what will eventually lead to elbow surgery. But he also may just be enduring a blip fueled by some bad luck (his 2.91 FIP* ranks sixth in the majors). We'll see if he can right the ship tonight against Milwaukee (7:30pm ET, ESPN). *FIP, explained: Fielding Independent Pitching is similar to ERA, but it focuses only on events pitchers have control over — strikeouts, walks, hit-by-pitches and home runs. In other words, it removes results on balls hit into the field of play. 🏀 IN THE SPOTLIGHT CAITLIN CLARK JUST WANTS TO SHUT UP AND DRIBBLE (Soobum Im/Getty Images) Caitlin Clark just wants to "shut up and dribble." It's time for people on both sides of the political divide to let her. Dan Wolken, Yahoo Sports: No matter the discourse that flares up around her style of play, the fouls she takes from opposing players or the various political controversies that find their way into the WNBA ecosystem, Caitlin Clark has been remarkably consistent about one thing during her entire career. She wants no part of your agenda. If you're on the left and believe Clark is doing something to foster online racism and harassment toward her opponents, it is apparent that no amount of denunciation (which she has done many times) will convince you that she just wants to play ball. And if you're on the other side of the spectrum, trying to bait her into one of these hot-button debates that dominates right-wing media, you, too, will find yourself disappointed by her equal-opportunity evasiveness. In an era where every athlete is supposed to have an opinion on everything for the rest of us to judge as we retreat into ideological camps, here's a basketball player who literally just wants to shut up and dribble. And her reward is getting attacked from both sides. It's exhausting. It's pathetic. And everyone would be much better off if they simply let Clark handle her career and her image in the way she sees fit. 🏈 BAG SECURED BIJAN RUNS IT BACK IN ATLANTA (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) The following is an excerpt from Yahoo Sports Biz, our new sports business newsletter authored by Dylan Dittrich. Sign up here to get on the list. Bijan Robinson became the highest-paid running back in NFL history on Tuesday, signing a three-year extension with the Falcons worth up to $75 million. The impact: While the deal raises the bar for the position (great news for Jahmyr Gibbs), it doesn't radically alter the complexion of a league that has paid less of the cap to star running backs over the last decade. Nor does its three-year term represent a marked shift from prioritizing youth at the position. Youth movement: Teams have grown accustomed to restraining their running-back investment beyond a certain age — usually a back's mid-to-late 20s — instead prioritizing youth at the position. The cash-pay chart above only looks as favorable as it does in recent years because of the high draft positions and hefty signing bonuses for Ashton Jeanty (6th in 2025) and Jeremiyah Love (3rd in 2026). Teams are willing to invest in a back's explosive early years. Superstars at the position still earn lucrative second contracts, so long as those deals don't take them past their presumed shelf-lives. Robinson's contract extends through his age-28 season, offering the Falcons protection from a decline. Bye-bye, bell cow: The league emphasis on passing and the prioritization of fresh legs has numbered the days of the traditional bell-cow running back. This season's highest-paid running back (by cap hit) is Jonathan Taylor, whose hit ranks only 110th in the league. 15 years ago, Adrian Peterson ranked 13th. No running back in the last decade has cracked the top 20. Quarterback envy: In 2011, the top QB cap-hit belonged to Peyton Manning at $16 million, while Peterson's trailed closely behind at $13 million. Compare that to the upcoming season: Matthew Stafford's hit is $48.2 million, up 201% from the Sheriff's, while Jonathan Taylor's $15.5 million is only a 20% improvement on AP's. Go deeper: Bijan Robinson's extension resets our beliefs about the value of running backs (Jeff Eisenberg, Yahoo Sports) 🏈 TOP 25 BUCKEYES, DUCKS TOP PRESEASON POLL (Joseph Raines/Yahoo Sports) The Big Ten has the top two teams in the 2026 preseason Coaches Poll, with Ohio State at No. 1 and Oregon at No. 2. Conference call: While the Big Ten has three of the top six teams in the poll, the SEC has five teams in the top 10 and nine ranked teams overall, one more than the Big Ten's eight. The Big 12 has four teams in the top 25, while the ACC has three. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: WEDNESDAY, AUG. 5 Seattle celebrates after winning last year's Leagues Cup. (Alika Jenner/Getty Images) ⚽️ Leagues Cup, Group Stage The World Cup is over, but the Leagues Cup is here, as 36 teams from MLS and Liga MX are competing in a month-long tournament for North American bragging rights and spots in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. South of the border: For the first time ever, there will be Leagues Cup matches played in Mexico, starting with tonight's headliner between top-seeded Toluca and defending champion Seattle (10pm ET, Apple/FS1). Another one worth watching: Lionel Messi and Inter Miami host Atlético de San Luis (7:30pm, Apple). More to watch: ⚾️ MLB: Cardinals at Yankees (7:05pm, Prime); Pirates at Brewers (7:30pm, ESPN) … Can Paul Skenes (6.25 ERA in July) bounce back in August? 🏀 WNBA: Storm at Liberty (7pm, USA); Sparks at Sky (9pm, USA) … New York (18-13) has won five of six, immediately after losing six of seven. 🥇 ON THIS DAY TRIVIA TIME (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images) Question: 10 years ago today, the 2016 Summer Olympics kicked off in what city? Answer at the bottom. 🌊 SURF'S UP PHOTO FINISH (Godofredo A. Vásquez/AFP via Getty Images) The annual World Dog Surfing Championships were held this weekend in Pacifica, California (about 14 miles south of San Francisco), and the photos did not disappoint. Way to rip, Rusty! (Heather Diehl/Getty Images) The dogs, sporting colorful life vests, were assisted by human participants, who spotted the best waves to carry them to shore as thousands of spectators cheered — and barked — from the beach. (Heather Diehl/Getty Images) The event, which benefits local animal charities, included a tandem competition. Here we have Bradley "Shortboard" Cooper, Rippin' Rosie and Charlie competing as the "dream team.” Absolute legends. Trivia answer: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted August 6 Author Members Posted August 6 Video game giant Electronic Arts closes $55 billion go-private sale of its business Video game giant Electronic Arts officially has new owners. Read More. Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted August 6 Author Members Posted August 6 > Disney and TikTok strike deal allowing select creators to make short-form videos with Disney assets; the content will appear in a new vertical video feed within the Disney+ streaming app (More) > NFL preseason begins tonight at 8 pm ET with the Carolina Panthers taking on the Arizona Cardinals in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game (More, w/schedule) | Preakness Stakes to be the first Triple Crown race held on a Sunday starting in 2027 (More) > Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton is hospitalized after fans contact police over apparent acts of self-harm on a TikTok livestream (More) Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted August 7 Author Members Posted August 7 👋 Good morning! Are you ready for some football? The NFL preseason kicks off tonight in Canton, Ohio. In today's edition: NFL power rankings, LIV finds a lifeline, Olson passes Musial, soccer's déjà vu, Hall of Fame Game, the Jefry Yan experience, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES ⚾️ PCA wins MVP showdown: Pete Crow-Armstrong (2 HR, 4 RBI) and Shohei Ohtani's (2 HR, 3 RBI) battle of MVP contenders did not disappoint in Wednesday's series finale, which saw the Cubs hand the Dodgers their sixth straight loss and PCA become the first Cub ever with consecutive 25-HR, 25-SB seasons. ⛳️ LIV finds lifeline: LIV Golf, which has been on life support since its Saudi backers pulled funding as of the end of this season, has found a lead investor to secure the tour's future. Most details remain unknown, but the plan is to make players "majority equity holders." 🏈 NFL headlines: The Commanders signed WR Stefon Diggs to a one-year, $12M contract; Aaron Donald had an official workout with the Rams amid comeback rumors; the Chiefs' home field will once again be known simply as "Arrowhead Stadium" (rather than GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium). ⚾️ "I'll be back this season": Those five words, uttered on Wednesday by Aaron Judge, were music to Yankees' fans ears. Their captain has finally been cleared for "light activity" and vows to be back "sooner than later" after missing over two months with a rib injury. ⚽️ Cities seeking FIFA payment: The U.S. host cities for the World Cup are reportedly chasing $1 million "legacy" payments that were allegedly promised to them by FIFA, which made roughly $15 billion in revenue during the World Cup cycle. 🏈 SURVEYING THE LANDSCAPE NFL OFFSEASON POWER RANKINGS (Josh Heim/Yahoo Sports) Yahoo Sports' Frank Schwab spent the summer ranking and previewing every team to get you ready for the 2026 season. Below, we break down his power rankings division-by-division ahead of tonight's preseason kickoff. NFC East: The 2025 Cowboys, with their high-octane offense and league-worst defense, were far more entertaining than they were successful. This year, with a re-tooled defense led by first-year DC Christian Parker, perhaps America's Team will be more than just "Red Zone" fodder. Cowboys (No. 8 in Frank's rankings) Eagles (9) Commanders (18) Giants (25) North: Two years ago, this division had the best win rate in NFL history, and last year it became just the second division since the merger to have every team finish above .500. What does the mighty North have in store for us this time around? Lions (6) Bears (11) Packers (15) Vikings (19) South: The NFC North is the only division with all four teams ranked in Frank's top 20, and the South is the only division with no teams ranked in the top 20. Sorry, but that's what you get after all four teams finished under .500 last season. Buccaneers (22) Panthers (23) Saints (24) Falcons (26) West: The defending champions don't even get top billing in their own division thanks to the reigning MVP and DPOY teaming up in Los Angeles. And if Aaron Donald comes out of retirement to join the party? Hoo boy. Rams (1) Seahawks (2) 49ers (13) Cardinals (30) AFC East: The Bills' seven-year playoff streak is the longest in the league, yet they still haven't reached the Super Bowl with Josh Allen — something the Patriots did in Year 2 of the Drake Maye era. How those two perform should decide the division, and perhaps the conference. Bills (3) Patriots (5) Jets (31) Dolphins (32) North: The Mike Tomlin era in Pittsburgh has given way to a reunion between Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers in the four-time MVP's farewell season. Speaking of change: Jesse Minter replaced John Harbaugh in Baltimore, and Todd Monken replaced Kevin Stefanski in Cleveland. Ravens (7) Bengals (17) Steelers (20) Browns (29) South: Can C.J. Stroud improve enough to put some points on the board for Houston's all-world defense? How will the Jags follow up on their stunning 13-4 campaign? Can Indy bounce back after their disappointing finish? Will Cam Ward make a sophomore leap? Texans (10) Jaguars (16) Colts (21) Titans (28) West: All eyes will be on Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, as the former returns from a torn ACL and the latter seeks to restart the dynasty that was put on hold during a catastrophic 6-11 season. But don't forget about the Broncos, coming off the 1-seed in their best season since the Peyton Manning era. Broncos (4) Chiefs (12) Chargers (14) Raiders (27) Countdown: The NFL preseason kicks off tonight with the annual Hall of Fame game, and the regular season begins in 34 days with a Super Bowl rematch between the Seahawks and Patriots in Seattle on Wednesday, Sept. 9. ⚾️ IRON MAN OLSON PASSES MUSIAL (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) Braves 1B Matt Olson continued his climb up the all-time Iron Man ranks on Wednesday when he played in his 896th consecutive game, passing Stan Musial for the eighth-longest streak in MLB history. Looking ahead: Olson's streak began on May 2, 2021, his final season with the Athletics before being traded to Atlanta. If the 32-year-old slugger stays healthy, he'll keep ascending the leaderboard over the next few years. By the end of next season he'll reach 1,106 consecutive games, barely edging out Joe Sewell (1,103) for seventh. Midway through 2028 he'll pass Billy Williams (1,117), Miguel Tejada (1,152) and Steve Garvey (1,207) for fourth, and by May of 2029 he'll pass Everett Scott (1,307) for third. Beyond that, well… good luck, Matt! To catch Lou Gehrig (2,130) he'll have to play every game until 2034, when he's 40 years old. And to catch Cal Ripken Jr. (2,632), he'll have to keep going another three years after that. Underrated? Olson's biggest claim to fame may be his endurance, but he also happens to be one of the best players in the sport, full stop. Since 2021, the season his streak began, his 216 home runs rank fifth in MLB, his 212 doubles and 615 RBIs rank second and his 30.8 WAR ranks sixth. He's also a four-time All-Star, three-time Gold Glover and the 2023 Silver Slugger. Who's got next? The next-longest active Iron Man streak belongs to Orioles 1B Pete Alonso, with 524 consecutive games — more than two full seasons behind Olson. ⚽️ TIMELINE HISTORY REPEATED, SAME RESULT (Rob Pinney/Getty Images) Those who don't study history are doomed to repeat it, and after the events of the last week, it's safe to say FIFA president Gianni Infantino is no Ken Burns. Déjà vu: The FIFA Forward Enterprise project uncannily retraced the exact steps of 2021's European Super League fiasco, another commercially oriented endeavor that bucked tradition to the world's displeasure. Neither idea survived a week. Day 1 European Super League (2021): The Times' Martyn Ziegler breaks the news that five English clubs have pledged allegiance to a 20-team European Super League. Fan, pundit, and government backlash swiftly follows. FIFA Forward Enterprise (2026): The Times' Martyn Ziegler breaks the news that FIFA is pursuing private investment in a new commercial entity. Fan, pundit, and federation backlash swiftly follows, with UEFA condemning the plan within hours. Day 2 ESL: UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin condemns the Super League and threatens that European players who participate will be banned from the Euros and World Cup. The U.K. government says it will do whatever it takes to stop English clubs from joining. FFE: Condemnation of FIFA's plan grows far and wide, with even new U.K. prime minister Andy Burnham insisting "football does not belong to investors." Day 3 ESL: Rival clubs begin to issue statements rebuking the proposed Super League as fan protests build. By the end of the night, all involved English clubs announce that they will withdraw from the league. FFE: UEFA holds an emergency meeting and confirms plans to boycott all FIFA competitions until the proposal is abandoned. Concacaf soon joins them in formally condemning it. Their joint opposition puts the plan on life support. Day 4 ESL: Liverpool owner John Henry apologizes to fans. Super League founder Andrea Agnelli acknowledges that the league is effectively dead, and by day's end, just four of the original 12 teams remain. The ESL concept survived in zombie form until early 2026, but in reality, it ended just four days in. FFE: The Asian Football Confederation declares its opposition to the proposal. Senior FIFA advisor Carlos Cordeiro resigns in protest, while FIFA COO Kevin Lamour declares that staff were deceived about the project. Day 5 FFE: FIFA withdraws the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal, noting that it had divided the world when it intended to unite. Full-time FIFA Forward Enterprise lasted one day longer than the European Super League, but the overlap on their bingo cards was striking. From being scooped by Martyn Ziegler* to UEFA condemnation to insider backtracking, Infantino and company played the hits in what would be considered an unimaginative and formulaic sequel by Hollywood standards. *There's a real case to be made that Ziegler is one of the most important football figures of the 21st century, having put both of these proposals on the back foot by breaking the news. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: THURSDAY, AUG. 6 (Nick Cammett/Getty Images) 🏈 Hall of Fame Game The NFL preseason kicks off tonight in Canton, Ohio (8pm ET, NBC), where the Cardinals and Panthers will play in the annual Hall of Fame Game before the Class of 2026 is enshrined this weekend. Kenny Pickett will start at QB for Carolina, while rookie Carson Beck will start for Arizona. Honorees: The Class of 2026 includes Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald and Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly, hence the teams chosen for tonight's game. The other three members are quarterback Drew Brees, running back Roger Craig and kicker Adam Vinatieri. ⛳️ Wyndham Championship The PGA Tour's regular-season finale tees off today (6:45am, ESPN+; 3pm, Golf) at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina, where dozens of golfers are fighting for a berth in the FedEx Cup Playoffs. The top 59 players have already clinched, leaving just 11 open spots. Elsewhere: The U.S. Women's Amateur Round of 64 is today (11am, Golf) at The Honors Course in Ooltewah, Tennessee, and LIV New York (12pm, Fox One) tees off at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey. 🏀 WNBA on Prime Caitlin Clark's Fever host A'ja Wilson's Aces in the first leg of tonight's star-studded doubleheader (7pm, Prime). Then, rookie sensation Olivia Miles and the first-place Lynx host the Sparks as they go for their 11th straight win (9pm, Prime). MVP race: Wilson (-500), Miles (+900) and Clark (+1400) are three of the top five betting favorites to win MVP. Paige Bueckers is tied with Clark at +1400. More to watch: ⚾️ MLB: Twins at Royals (7:30pm, ESPN) … Minnesota (56-59) is just one game out of the third wild card spot. 🎾 Tennis: Canadian Open (11am, Tennis) … Frances Tiafoe, Alex de Minaur, Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula headline the Round of 32 action. 🤸🏻♀️ Gymnastics: U.S. Championships (10pm, NBCSN/Peacock) … The four-day event gets underway in Phoenix, with the men kicking things off. ✌️ SEEING DOUBLE TRIVIA TIME (Chris Coduto/Getty Images) The Cardinals (Arizona, St. Louis) and Panthers (Carolina, Florida) — playing in tonight's Hall of Fame Game — are two of the six names in the "Big Four" leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL) attached to multiple teams. Question: Can you name the other four examples? Answer at the bottom. ⚾️ JUMPING FOR JOY WELCOME TO THE BIG LEAGUES Yan's first MLB strikeout. (SNY) Are you ready for the Jefry Yan experience? The Mets have called up the demonstrative lefty, whose strikeout celebrations include jump splits, mid-air leaps and 360 spins. And it didn't take long to see them in action, as the reliever recorded two strikeouts in his MLB debut on Wednesday. Trivia answer: Jets (New York and Winnipeg), Rangers (New York and Texas), Giants (New York and San Francisco), Kings (Los Angeles and Sacramento) Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted August 9 Author Members Posted August 9 🎉 Yahoo! It's Friday! You made it. In today's edition: Welcome to Canton, Panthers win preseason opener, MLB's competitive balance bogeyman, Weekend Watchlist, the agony of gold, Guess The Logo, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🏈 Panthers win at the buzzer: The Panthers and Cardinals kicked off the NFL preseason in thrilling fashion, with Carolina winning 33-30 on a last-second TD run by rookie QB Haynes King. ⚾️ Sox stay hot: The Red Sox (63-51) won their eighth straight game — and their 31st of their last 36 (!!) — in dramatic fashion, rallying from behind five times for a 12-11 victory over the White Sox in 13 innings. 🏀 Gray's heroics sink Fever: The Aces came back from 20 points down to beat Indiana, 86-84, thanks to the heroics of Chelsea Gray, who hit one buzzer-beating three to send the game to OT and another to win it. Elsewhere: The Sparks beat the Lynx, 89-82, to snap their 10-game winning streak. 🏈 More RB extensions: The Lions gave Jahymr Gibbs a three-year extension worth up to $75.75M, edging out Bijan Robinson's recent deal (3/$75M) as the richest ever for a RB. The Colts gave Jonathan Taylor a two-year deal worth up to $47M. 🇺🇸 Team USA roster revealed: A'ja Wilson, Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, Napheesa Collier, Breanna Stewart and Angel Reese headline Team USA's 12-player roster for the FIBA Women's World Cup, taking place next month in Berlin. 🏈 CLASS OF 2026 WELCOME TO CANTON (Hassan Ahmad/Yahoo Sports) Five men will be formally enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame tomorrow in Canton, Ohio. Below, we take a brief look at their legendary careers. Drew Brees (2001-20): The man who saved football in New Orleans will also go down as one of the most accomplished QBs in league history. His 80,358 yards and 571 TDs are both second only to Tom Brady, and in 2009 he led the Saints to their only Super Bowl title. Bio: The Chargers took the Purdue All-American in the second round of the 2001 Draft, but his time in San Diego ended when he injured his shoulder in the final game of the 2005 season. With young backup Philip Rivers in the fold, they let him walk to the Saints, where he made 12 Pro Bowls, won two OPOY awards and was named MVP of Super Bowl XLIV. Fun fact: Brees, perhaps the best player to never win NFL MVP, finished as the runner-up a record four times in 2006 (to LaDainian Tomlinson), 2009 (Peyton Manning), 2011 (Aaron Rodgers) and 2018 (Patrick Mahomes). Larry Fitzgerald (2004-20): The Cardinals lifer is considered not only a first-class gentleman but is on the shortlist for the second-best player ever at his position. Fitzgerald's 17,492 receiving yards and 1,432 catches are both second only to Jerry Rice, and his 121 receiving TDs rank sixth all-time. Bio: Drafted third overall out of Pittsburgh in 2004, the humble superstar never asked out of Arizona despite enduring multiple rebuilds and reaching the playoffs just five times. How's this for resilience: Fitzgerald (who never officially retired) caught passes from 22 different QBs in 17 seasons. Wild stat: Fitz's hands were so good, and his hustle so relentless, that he had more career tackles (41) than dropped passes (29). Yes, really. Luke Kuechly (2012-19): Captain America's career was relatively short, but you'd be hard-pressed to find any arguments against his enshrinement in Canton given the performances and accolades the Panthers linebacker fit into eight years in Carolina. Bio: Drafted ninth overall out of Boston College in 2012, the DROY quickly established himself as the gold standard for middle linebackers of his era. Kuechly burned fast and bright, winning a DPOY and earning five first-team All-Pro selections before tearfully retiring in 2020 due to repeated concussion issues. Alone at the top: Kuechly terrorized offenses to the tune of 1,092 combined tackles, the most of any player during his career. In fact, just four other players were within even 300 of his total in that span. Roger Craig (1983-93): Before Christian McCaffrey, LaDainian Tomlinson and Marshall Faulk, there was Roger Craig, a pass-catching running back dynamo who played an integral role in the 49ers' dynasty of the 1980s — and who finally earned his well-deserved spot in Canton. Bio: The second-rounder out of Nebraska in 1983 landed in the right place at the right time, giving the Niners the perfect weapon to supercharge their West Coast offense. Craig's career fizzled after he left San Francisco, but the highs — three Super Bowls and four Pro Bowls in seven years — were as high as it gets. Exclusive club: Craig won OPOY in 1988, but 1985 was his true tour de force when he led the league with 92 catches and became the first player ever with over 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in a season. Only Faulk (1999) and McCaffrey (2019) have since joined him. Adam Vinatieri (1996-2019): The Patriots and Colts legend wasn't the most accurate kicker ever (his 83.8% field goal success rate ranks 39th), but he was perhaps the greatest, and certainly the most prolific, with an NFL-record 599 made field goals and 2,673 points. Bio: That Vinatieri made it to Canton is, frankly, stunning, considering he was once a middling college kicker at D-II South Dakota State, began his pro career in NFL Europe and was nearly cut four games into his tenure with New England. 24 seasons and four Super Bowl titles later, he's as undeniable as his golden right leg. Captain Clutch: Vinatieri nailed an NFL-record 28 game-winning field goals in the final minute of the fourth quarter and overtime, including one iconic kick in a snowstorm and two that won Super Bowls. Tune in: Watch the Class of 2026 enshrinement ceremony tomorrow (12pm ET, ESPN/NFL). ⚾️ SUPER TEAM MLB'S COMPETITIVE BALANCE BOGEYMAN GETS SCARIER This story first appeared in Yahoo Sports Biz, our new sports business newsletter authored by Dylan Dittrich. The Dodgers' inevitable acquisition of ace pitcher Tarik Skubal not only strengthens their rotation for the stretch run, but it could also shape the ongoing labor battle between MLB and its players. Rich get richer: Skubal's acquisition concentrates even more talent in an already crowded Dodgers dugout. The team's $430.5 million tax payroll leads the league by $60 million. It's five times larger than that of the bottom-ranked Marlins. A bigger game is afoot: Skubal's arrival (and likely extension) on a roster that redefines "super team" is perhaps one last luxury splurge for the Dodgers ahead of an MLB salary cap push. His addition, however, provides MLB with ammunition in its cap advocacy. While you might think rival owners would fume at the Dodgers' growing embarrassment of riches, the team's exorbitant payroll has been a piece of the league's public bargaining position. MLB cites a perceived lack of competitive balance in its calls for a salary cap and floor system. The system, they argue, would curb the spending of the league's heavyweights while forcing its bottom feeders to invest in their rosters. That the Dodgers so easily won the deadline's grand prize will sow fan unrest, potentially swaying the court of public opinion in ownership's favor. Public support could provide greater leverage; usually, fans vehemently oppose ownership in labor struggles. Is competition unbalanced? You won't hear a conversation about the labor battle that doesn't include the term "competitive balance," but how unbalanced is MLB? It's balanced: The teams with the best records in the AL and NL, the Rays and the Brewers, rank 20th and 28th in tax payroll respectively. Meanwhile, the Mets (2nd in tax payroll) have the third-worst record in the NL, and the Blue Jays (5th in tax payroll) are dead last in the AL East. Money matters, but so does execution. It's unbalanced: October counts, and a small-market team hasn't won it all since the Royals in 2015. Since then, teams in MLB's bottom-five markets have generated a winning percentage of .478. That's the lowest of the four major leagues, and the .043 gap to the top-five markets is the biggest. Bottom line: MLB's competitive balance bogeyman just got even scarier, much to the chagrin of fans of the other 29 MLB franchises. Their owners, however, will likely use their displeasure as fuel for an ongoing effort to install a salary cap. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WEEKEND WATCHLIST The Astros are inevitable. (Houston Astros/Getty Images) ⚾️ Major League Baseball There are a bunch of series this weekend between playoff contenders, headlined by the red-hot Astros (59-57) visiting the Padres (60-56) on "Sunday Night Baseball" (8:20pm ET, NBC). Best of the rest: Braves (70-45) at Yankees (64-51), Guardians (57-59) at White Sox (59-55), Dodgers (69-46) at Diamondbacks (61-55), Rays (68-46) at Mariners (56-60). 🏀 Aces at Lynx The WNBA's top two teams square off on Saturday afternoon in Minnesota (1pm, CBS), where where Olivia Miles and the Lynx host A'ja Wilson and the Aces in a potential Finals preview. Elsewhere: The Fever visit the Sky on Saturday (3:30pm, ABC) before Sunday's triple-header: Aces at Liberty (12:30pm, ABC), Wings at Lynx (3:30pm, NBC), Valkyries at Sparks (7pm, ESPN). ⛳️ Wyndham Championship The PGA Tour's regular-season finale continues in North Carolina (Fri-Sun, ESPN+/Golf/CBS), where golfers are competing for an $8.5 million purse and, more importantly, spots in the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Bubble watch: The top 70 golfers in the standings after this weekend will advance to the playoffs. Some of the biggest names on the bubble and how they shot on Thursday: Jackson Koivun (-3), Brooks Koepka (-3), Keegan Bradley (E), Jason Day (+1). 🎱 The Ocho The 10th anniversary of ESPN's "The Ocho" — a collection of niche sports that began as a playful nod to 2004's "Dodgeball" and has since become an annual staple — kicked off last night and will run for a total of 74.5 hours through Sunday evening. Schedule: The full lineup, mostly airing on ESPN2, includes 10 competitions from ESPN's Wide World of Sports Complex at Disney World. Some highlights include the Big League Wiffle Ball World Series (Fri. 10am), the Hacky Sack Championship (Sat. 9:30am) and the World Axe and Knife Throwing Championship (Sat. 3pm). More to watch: 🎾 Tennis: Canadian Open (Fri-Sun, Tennis) … The quarterfinals will be set by Monday in the Masters 1000 events in Montreal (men) and Toronto (women). ⚽️ MLS: New England vs. Houston (Sat. 4:30pm, Apple) … Third in the East vs. fourth in the West in the lone game this weekend while Leagues Cup takes center stage. ⚽️ NWSL: Gotham vs. San Diego (Fri. 8pm, Prime); Seattle vs. Angel City (Sun. 9pm, ESPN) … Defending champion Gotham have ridden a six-match unbeaten streak to the top of the standings. 🏈 IFL: Tulsa Oilers vs. Green Bay Blizzard (Sun. 4pm, Yahoo Sports); Arizona Rattlers vs. San Diego Strike Force (Sun. 7:30pm, Yahoo Sports) … Conference championships. 🤸🏻♀️ Gymnastics: U.S. Championships (Fri-Sun, Peacock/NBC) … Olympic medalists Jade Carey, Hezly Rivera, Frederick Richard and Stephen Nedoroscik headline the action. Plus: ⛳️ U.S. Women's Amateur (Fri-Sun, Golf); 🏁 NASCAR at Iowa Speedway (Sun. 3:30pm, USA); 🏁 IndyCar in Portland (Sun. 4pm, Fox); 🥍 PLL in Boston (Fri-Sat, ESPN+/ESPN2); 🚲 Tour de France Femmes (Fri-Sun, Peacock); ⚾️ WPBL (Fri-Sun, ESPN+) 🥇 35 YEARS LATER FRIDAY FEATURE: THE AGONY OF GOLD (Hassan Ahmad/Yahoo Sports) In 1988, one of the most controversial decisions in Olympic boxing history forever linked Roy Jones Jr. and Park Si-Hun. More than three decades later, the story took one final, unexpected turn. Joseph Santoliquito, Uncrowned: On May 30, 2023, Park Si-Hun traveled from South Korea to Pensacola, Florida, to surprise his 1988 Olympic counterpart, Hall of Fame boxer Roy Jones Jr., with the medal the American should've rightfully won in their infamous gold medal match, which was called a 3-2 victory for Park despite Jones, then only 19 years old, out-landing Park 86 punches to 32. It was a historic result — considered by many to be the most controversial decision in Olympic boxing history — that forced a change in Olympic boxing scoring and led to the lifetime banning of judges Alberto Duran of Uruguay and Hiduad Larbi of Morocco, who each scored it 59-58 for Park. In the wake of the controversy, the U.S. Olympic committee and everyone associated with AIBA — the international amateur boxing governing body of the time — held out hope that the International Olympic Committee would eventually right the wrong and present Jones his winning medal, an award even Park knew Jones should've won. But that did not happen. Not until Park himself took the initiative and presented Jones with the one thing that had linked the two men for the 35 years after their fateful first meeting. His magnanimous gesture did not go public until late 2025, and came as a complete surprise to Jones. 🔎 ZOOMED IN GUESS THE LOGO Question: Can you guess this zoomed in MLB logo? Hint: Currently in playoff position. Answer at the bottom. ⚾️ POWER OUTAGE POST-DERBY WOES (Chris Graythen/Getty Images) Chalk one up for the (largely unfounded) Home Run Derby curse, as this year's finalists have seemingly forgotten how to hit the ball over the fence since putting on a show last month in Philadelphia. One and done: Derby winner Jordan Walker (0) and runner-up Kyle Schwarber (1) have combined to hit just one home run since the All-Star break. Schwarber is still tied for the NL lead (33), but now trails Yordan Alvarez (35) in the overall home run race; Walker remains stuck on 22. Logo reveal: Chicago Cubs Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted August 11 Author Members Posted August 11 👋 Good morning! Happy Monday. World record: Stephen Biebelhausen inspired dads everywhere on Saturday when he ran Cleveland's Guardian Mile race in 4 minutes, 17 seconds… while pushing his child in a stroller. In today's edition: Senate punts on college sports bill, Mad Max makes history, Rivera repeats as top U.S. gymnast, "Eala Mania," Baker's Dozen (it's back!), and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🎓 CAPITOL HILL SENATE PUNTS ON COLLEGE SPORTS BILL Senator Ted Cruz speaks with a reporter following a series of votes at the U.S. Capitol on Friday. (Win McNamee/Getty Images) Last week began with legitimate hope that the Protect College Sports Act would be on a glide path toward becoming law. It ended in an all too familiar place: mired in the nuts and bolts of American politics. Driving the news: The U.S. Senate adjourned for its annual five-week August recess on Saturday without voting on legislation that intends to regulate college athletics, kicking any possible vote to September, as Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger first reported. What happened? Politics happened. As the PCSA inched toward a vote, a wave of detractors emerged to block the path. Instead of being jammed through without much scrutiny, which seems to be what co-authors Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) intended, the bill is now riddled with amendments and various outside groups imploring senators not to pass it. Mounting opposition: The Congressional Black Caucus released a statement slamming the bill; more than a dozen Republican senators filed objections or amendments; several labor unions sent a joint letter in opposition. Other priorities: A logjam of agenda items before the Senate last week took precedence over college sports. Bills to fund the government, implement sanctions against Russia and balance the budget, as well as administrative nominations, shoved the act aside. Dan Wolken, Yahoo Sports: Though NCAA officials and university presidents may believe they have allies in Congress who want to fix their problems, expecting Congress to actually do something ignored the underlying reality of our system. When you ask for a political solution, you will get politics whether you like it or not. And what do you know? Just when it seemed like the PCSA was headed for a floor vote, politics happened in a big way. And while the bill sits on the shelf for the next five weeks, there's no telling what might happen in America or the world that will demand more immediate attention when Congress returns. Where it stands: Cruz is confident that the Senate will prioritize the PCSA when it returns on Sept. 14. "We look forward to [President Trump] signing the bill on College GameDay in the fall," he told Yahoo Sports. But some supporters fear that a five-week long break will invite more detractors, and ultimately hurt the bill's chances. Keep reading: The NCAA begged Congress to fix its problems. Now it's paying the price as Washington politics take over. ⚾️ STRIKEOUT MERCHANTS MAD MAX: THE LAST OF A DYING BREED? (Hassan Ahmad/Yahoo Sports) Max Scherzer yet again etched his name in the MLB history books on Saturday, passing Walter Johnson for 10th on the all-time strikeout leaderboard. By the numbers: Mad Max reached 3,516 career punchouts in just 2,999 innings. That is by far the fewest of anyone in the top 10 thanks to his sterling mark of 10.55 strikeouts per 9 IP — the eighth-best mark ever and second only to Randy Johnson (10.61) among those in the top 10. The future Hall of Famer notched three-quarters of his strikeouts with the Nationals (1,610) and Tigers (1,081). The rest came with the Mets (294), Diamondbacks (240), Blue Jays (109 and counting), Rangers (93) and Dodgers (89). He joins Justin Verlander (3,554 strikeouts) as the only active players in the top 10, while Johnson (4,875) and Roger Clemens (4,672) are the only others who pitched this century. How high could he climb? Injuries have limited the 42-year-old Scherzer to just nine starts this season, but if he stays healthy the rest of the way he should get about seven more. At his current strikeout rate, that should move him past Gaylord Perry (3,534) into ninth. If Scherzer returns for one more year, he'd likely pass Verlander, who's retiring at the end of this season, and Don Sutton (3,574) to claim seventh place. Scherzer pumps his fist after recording the final out of the fifth inning on Saturday. (Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images) The last of a dying breed? Given the state of the modern game, with innings decreasing and injuries on the rise, it's fair to wonder whether we'll ever see another pitcher crack the top 10 on the all-time strikeout list. Chris Sale (2,730 strikeouts) and Gerrit Cole (2,338) are the closest active pitchers. Sale's late-career renaissance in Atlanta gives him some hope, but he's 37 and still four elite seasons away from the top 10. Cole's a year younger, but also 400 strikeouts behind and coming off Tommy John surgery. Six more ~185-strikeout seasons? Sorry, not happening. Maybe 29-year-old Tarik Skubal (1,011) remains dominant for another decade-plus. Maybe 24-year-old Paul Skenes (548) avoids the injury bug and becomes the GOAT. Maybe the game evolves. Maybe we invent a new way to surgically repair an elbow. Maybe anti-aging makes it possible to pitch well into your 50s. That's a lot of maybes. Bottom line: Scherzer is one of 35 pitchers in MLB history with multiple no-hitters, and one of 11 with at least three Cy Young Awards — accomplishments that, while extraordinary, could realistically be matched by future legends. But when it comes to knocking down the door of the sport's most prolific strikeout merchants, he may just be the last of his kind. 🇺🇸 SNAPSHOTS PHOTOS ACROSS AMERICA (Michael Reaves/Getty Images) Chicago, Illinois — The Sky's DiJonai Carrington was ejected from Saturday's game against the Fever after committing a flagrant 2 foul against Sophie Cunningham, who's been at the center of the WNBA's latest controversy following her comments about transgender women in sports. The Fever went on to win, 90-86, behind big games from Kelsey Mitchell (27 points) and Caitlin Clark (26 points, 11 assists). Fanning the flames: Carrington took to social media right after her ejection, posting "WHITE PRIVILEGE" and tagging the Fever. "I think the league is taking care of that ," Cunningham said after the game. "This has nothing to do with race." (Chris Coduto/Getty Images) Phoenix, Arizona — Hezly Rivera won her second straight U.S. gymnastics all-around title on Sunday. The 18-year-old, a gold medalist two years ago in Paris, is the first American woman not named Simone Biles to go back-to-back in this event since 2011. On the men's side: Frederick Richard, aka Frederick Flips, won his first national title despite giving up a points deduction for wearing a non-conforming uniform — an intentional move the Michigan grad and social media star also made last year in hopes of bringing more visibility to the men's side of the sport. (Caleb Bowlin/Getty Images) Greensboro, North Carolina — Michael Brennan (-22) ran away with the Wyndham Championship on Sunday, winning the PGA Tour's regular-season finale by three strokes to climb into the top 70 and secure a spot in the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Meanwhile, in New York: LIV Golf also held its regular-season finale, where Joaquin Niemann won for the ninth time on the breakaway tour and Jon Rahm secured his third straight season-long title. 🌍 SNAPSHOTS PHOTOS AROUND THE WORLD (Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu via Getty Images) 🇨🇦 Toronto, Canada — Alex Eala fell to Belinda Bencic on Sunday at the Canadian Open, snapping her seven-match winning streak but doing nothing to dim the shine of "Eala Mania" that has recently followed the rising Filipina star everywhere she goes. What she's saying: "The atmosphere this whole week has been just incredible," said the 21-year-old who played in front of adoring crowds all week in Toronto, which boasts the largest Filipino population in Canada. "I'll carry these memories with me for a really long time." (Tim de Waele/Getty Images) 🇫🇷 Nice, France — Dutch rider Demi Vollering won her second Tour de France Femmes on Sunday, becoming the first two-time winner of the nine-stage event that debuted in 2022. Redemption: The 2023 champion lost the 2024 race by just four seconds to Poland's Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney, who held the yellow jersey this year entering the final weekend. But Vollering went on to win each of the final two stages to erase the deficit and defeat her rival by a little over a minute. (David Gray/AFP via Getty Images) 🇦🇺 Sydney, Australia — More than 90,000 people took part in the annual "City to Surf" fun run on Sunday, with participants running from downtown Sydney to Bondi Beach to raise money for charity. American inspiration: The race, first run in 1971, was inspired by a similar fun run in San Francisco called Bay to Breakers, which debuted in 1912. In addition to both going from downtown to the waterfront, runners are also known to don novelty costumes. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: MONDAY, AUG. 10 Jódar celebrates his fourth-round victory. (Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) 🎾 Canadian Open, Quarterfinals In Montreal, we've got No. 18 Arthur Fils vs. No. 20 Rafael Jódar (6pm ET, Tennis) followed by No. 19 Luciano Darderi vs. No. 28 Brandon Nakashima. And in Toronto, it's No. 7 Iga Świątek vs. No. 15 Diana Shnaider (7pm) followed by No. 9 Elina Svitolina vs. No. 16 Ekaterina Alexandrova. Exclusive club: Jódar, 19, is just the third teenager ever to reach three consecutive Masters 1000 quarterfinals since the format was introduced in 1990. The other two? Fellow Spaniards Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz. Decent company. More to watch: ⚾️ MLB: Phillies at Cardinals (7:45pm, FS1) … Philly (63-56) maintains a narrow hold on the third wild card. St. Louis (59-59) is 3.5 games back. 🏀 WNBA: Tempo at Dream (8pm, NBCSN/Peacock); Sky at Storm (10pm, USA) … Toronto (10-21) and Seattle (6-28) have lost a combined 19 consecutive games. 🏈 HALLOWED HALLS TRIVIA TIME The Class of 2026 was enshrined on Saturday. (Nick Cammett/Getty Images) The Pro Football Hall of Fame is located in Canton, Ohio, home of the NFL's first repeat champion (in 1922 and 1923). Question: What was the name of that team? A) Canton Bulldogs Canton Cardinals C) Canton Tigers D) Canton Maroons Answer at the bottom. 🍿 BAKER'S DOZEN TOP PLAYS OF THE WEEKEND (Savannah Bananas) A huge shoutout to Ashton R. in New York City, who just turned 9 years old, loves Jalen Brunson and the Knicks, and enjoys watching Baker's Dozen with his dad. Great news, Ashton: The highlights are back! And this weekend delivered some real gems. 🍌 Best trick catch ever ⚽️ From way downtown ⚾️ Catch of the year?! ⚽️ Throw-in assist ⚾️ Corbin HR robbery 🏈 Cam Coleman!!! ⚾️ Luis Lara at the wall 🥏 This dude took flight ⚾️ Is that Derek Jeter? 🥍 Behind-the-back goal ⚾️ Carson in the corner 🎾 Insane reflexes 🏈 Great throw, great catch Watch all 13. Trivia answer: A) Canton Bulldogs Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted August 12 Author Members Posted August 12 👋 Good morning! We're looking to hire someone to join our newsletter team. Could that someone be you? Will share more tomorrow. In today's edition: Born in the 2000s, the shortstop who never makes an error, Sports on the Street, how the WNBA markets itself through a culture war, The World In Photos, Clippers sign a 7-foot-5 giant, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🎾 THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT WANNA FEEL OLD? American Ben Shelton celebrates his Round of 16 victory at the Canadian Open. (Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) History will be made today at the Canadian Open, where the men's quarterfinals are made up entirely of players born in the 2000s — a first for any ATP Masters 1000 event. The quarterfinalists: Brandon Nakashima, who just turned 25 this month, is the oldest man in the field. Rafael Jódar, who doesn't turn 20 until next month, is the youngest. 🇺🇸 Brandon Nakashima (born in 2001) 🇺🇸 Ben Shelton (2002) 🇮🇹 Luciano Darderi (2002) 🇪🇸 Daniel Mérida (2004) 🇫🇷 Arthur Fils (2004) 🇺🇸 Learner Tien (2005) 🇨🇿 Jakub Menšík (2005) 🇪🇸 Rafael Jódar (2006) See them in action: Rain postponed Monday's matches in Montreal, meaning all four quarterfinals will be played today on Tennis Channel. The action begins with No. 28 Nakashima vs. No. 19 Darderi (12:30pm ET), followed by No. 20 Jódar vs. No. 18 Fils (2pm), No. 13 Menšík vs. No. 5 Shelton (6pm) and Mérida vs. No. 12 Tien (7:10pm). ⚾️ STAT SHEET BIG NUMBERS: MLB EDITION (Edward M. Pio Roda/Getty Images) 111 games A's youngster Jacob Wilson completed his 111th consecutive game without an error on Sunday, the longest such streak by a shortstop in MLB history. The previous record was set in 2002 by Orioles SS Mike Bordick, who went 110 games (and 544 chances) without an error. Wilson has had "just" 331 chances during his streak. Long way to go: While Wilson extended his streak to 112 on Monday, he's still got a ways to go before catching the all-time record by a position player. Outfielder Robbie Grossman went 440 games without an error from 2018 to 2022 with the Twins, A's and Tigers. 56 triples Diamondbacks star Corbin Carroll hit his 56th triple on Saturday, passing Starling Marte and Mike Trout for the most among active players. Marte and Trout have both played well over 1,500 career games; Carroll has played just 604. It's actually stunning. The gap is a chasm: Carroll has nearly twice as many triples this season (13) as anyone else (four players with 7), and his 56 triples since debuting in 2022 are 21 more than second place. Aside from Jacob Misiorowski's fastball, there may be no MLB player more dominant in a single skill than Carroll's ability to hit a triple. (Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) 222 home runs Kyle Schwarber has hit 222 home runs since joining the Phillies in 2022, the second-most by any player in his first five seasons with a team in MLB history. Only Babe Ruth had more (235 with the Yankees from 1920-24), and Schwarber still has 42 games left to catch him. Zoom out: Schwarber's 375 career HR are the 19th-most through any player's first 12 seasons, and with a strong finish this summer he could crack the top 10 of that list. And that's despite three of his seasons being significantly shortened by injury, COVID and a late rookie call-up. He is, quite simply, a generational masher. 12th team Craig Kimbrel has signed with the Royals, marking his third team this season and 12th of his career — a number matched by only six other players in MLB history. Starting pitchers Rich Hill and Edwin Jackson hold the record (14 teams), followed by RHP Octavio Dotel (13), 1B/OF Matt Stairs (12), LHP Ron Villone (12) and RHP Mike Morgan (12). Kimbrel's journey: The nine-time All-Star played his first five seasons in Atlanta, followed by one with the Padres and three with the Red Sox. Since 2019, he's played for the Cubs, White Sox, Dodgers, Phillies, Orioles, Braves again, Astros, Mets, Rays and now Royals. 📈 TICKER TALK SPORTS ON THE STREET (Spencer Platt/Getty Images) The following story first appeared in Yahoo Sports Biz, our new sports business newsletter authored by Dylan Dittrich. Sign up here to receive tomorrow's edition. Over 1,500 companies scheduled their quarterly earnings releases for last week. Among that sea of results were sports and sports-adjacent businesses with no shortage of interesting nuggets to share. Here are the tidbits that caught our eye. 🏈 Brace for sports betting ads during football season. "We anticipate football season being quite the arms race this year. You're going to have prediction markets that are targeting customers for the first football season ever. … We already assumed it was going to be a very aggressive and irrational marketing spend, advertising, and new customer acquisition approach this football season." — Penn Entertainment (PENN) CEO Jay Snowden Bet on it: Fans should be prepared for an onslaught of marketing during the upcoming NFL and college football seasons. Competition is fierce as prediction market upstarts seek market share and legacy sportsbooks try to defend their own, while also marketing their prediction-market products in states where traditional betting remains illegal. (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) ⛳️ The U.S. golf business marches ahead. "The National Golf Foundation carves up the country into eight regions. Every region is up year to date, which is unusual because, typically, you've got an outlier weather pattern that's going to affect one region over another. … The other piece I'd add is they track public and private access. Public play, which is about 75% or so of total rounds in the U.S., is up at a greater rate than private play." — Acushnet Holdings (GOLF) CEO David Maher Hitting fairways: Both Acushnet and Callaway cited the sport's structural health in their comments, highlighting the game's ability to weather economic volatility and grow, even in the more affordable segments of the market. (Carl Recine/Getty Images) 📺 Nothing drives ad revenue quite like sports. "Advertising revenue during the quarter was notably strong, increasing 78%, with growth fueled by continued strength of Tubi, healthy advertising trends across the broader Fox portfolio, and our broadcast of the first stages of the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup. At a time when audiences are increasingly fragmented, the World Cup demonstrated the unique power of Fox to deliver live premium sports that bring people together at scale." — Fox Corporation (FOX) CEO Lachlan Murdoch Unparalleled scale: The World Cup was the primary driver behind an $838 million lift in Q4 advertising revenues for Fox, and that doesn't include the full benefit of games that fell in July, rather than June. The results further illustrate the immense commercial power of premier live sports rights, and the battle for future tournaments could be ruthless.* *The commercial power of premier live sports rights is just as conspicuous in their absence. Unlike Fox, Warner Bros. Discovery's advertising revenues fell 22% in Q2, or $492 million, with the loss of NBA rights negatively impacting year-over-year growth by 20%. 🌍 SNAPSHOTS THE WORLD IN PHOTOS (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) 🇺🇸 Long Beach, California — Teams offer their athletes food while they compete during the Women's Open Water 10K on Day 1 of the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships. (Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP via Getty Images) 🇫🇷 Paris, France — Ukraine's Nelli Chukanivska dives into the Seine River during the Women's 20m High Dive event at the European Aquatics Championships, where she took gold. (Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images) 🏴 Birmingham, England — Stephen Mackenzie does his best sand wedge impression during the Men's Long Jump qualifier at the European Athletics Championships. (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images) 🇨🇳 Beijing, China — Noah Norrie of the Philippines practices ahead of the 2026 IWWF World Cable Wakeboard & Wakeskate Championships. 📚 GO DEEPER GOOD READS (Bruno Rouby/Yahoo Sports) 🏀 Cassandra Negley: The WNBA is more popular than ever. But how does a league market itself through a culture war? Marketing strictly toward already established sports fans is no longer the path toward growth for any league, the 30-year-old WNBA included. Yet, opening that many doors creates the unintended consequence of ushering in unwelcome company. As droves of new fans step in, so, too, do people and groups unwilling to learn about the league's history or choosing to chase their own agendas. (Joseph Raines/Yahoo Sports) 🏈 Nick Bromberg: Here's what's new for the 2026 college football season Every college football season brings tweaks and changes and 2026 is no different. Here's what's new ahead of the upcoming campaign, and yes, the playoff format has once again been altered. (Taylor Wilhelm/Yahoo Sports) ⚾️ Jake Mintz: MLB free-agent rankings: The best of what's available in an underwhelming class Last winter, nine players signed contracts worth more than $100 million. This winter, new Dodger Tarik Skubal might be the only one. And that has absolutely nothing to do with the upcoming labor fiasco; these players just aren't that good. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: TUESDAY, AUG. 11 Kelsey Mitchell (0) surrounded by her teammates during a game last month. (Bobby Goddin/Getty Images) 🏀 Liberty at Fever Indiana hosts New York tonight (7:30pm ET, ESPN) in the third matchup of the season between the two title contenders, with the Fever (20-12) and Liberty (20-13) splitting the first two. Scoring machine: Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell is averaging a career-high 24.2 points per game this season, second only to A'ja Wilson (26.3), and she's scored 20+ points in 16 straight games, the longest single-season streak in WNBA history. More to watch: 🎾 Canadian Open: Quarterfinals (12:30pm, Tennis) ... In addition to the men's quarters detailed above, we've got No. 4 Coco Gauff vs. No. 12 Belinda Bencic (7pm) and No. 2 Elena Rybakina vs. No. 11 Naomi Osaka (8:10pm). ⚾️ MLB: Mariners at Yankees (7:05pm, TBS) … New York (66-52) holds the first wild card. Seattle (56-63) has lost four straight to fall 4 games back of the third wild card. ⚽️ Leagues Cup: Group Stage (7:30pm, Apple) … The third and final matchday of the group phase kicks off with six games between MLS and Liga MX clubs. 🏀 BASKETBALL GIANTS TRIVIA TIME (Sam Hodde/NBAE via Getty Images) The Clippers have signed 7-foot-5 center Jamarion Sharp, making him the tallest active player in the NBA. Question: Who are the tallest players in NBA history? Hint: They were both 7-foot-7. Answer at the bottom. 🏈 NEW FEATURES 29 DAYS OF FANTASY It's Yahoo Fantasy Football's 29th year. To celebrate, we're dropping a brand-new fantasy feature every single day for 29 days straight. That's 29 days, 29 features, all built to help you dominate your league. First up: Custom Recipes. Leagues that want to venture away from standard scoring can now easily select from a menu of custom scoring options curated by celebrities, creators and Yahoo Fantasy experts. Commissioners can apply Custom Recipes to their existing league (in "Scoring Settings") or when creating a new league. Trivia answer: Gheorghe Mureșan and Manute Bol (pictured below) Bol and Bogues, dynamic duo. (Focus on Sport/Getty Images) Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted August 14 Author Members Posted August 14 👋 Good morning! Happy Hump Day. Four-way tie: Junior Caminero and Matt Olson each hit their 35th home run of the season on Tuesday, tying Kyle Schwarber and Yordan Alvarez for the MLB lead. It's the first time there's been a four-way tie for the lead this late in the season since 1982. In today's edition: Big Dumper's epic slump, Yankees land billions in PE deal, Joe Brady's Super Bowl mandate, college fantasy rankings, Sports Jeopardy, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 📣 NOW HIRING JOIN OUR TEAM Come join our growing Yahoo Sports newsletter team! We are adding a contract (non full-time) employee as the sports calendar picks up. What we're looking for: A skilled writer who is both passionate and knowledgeable about all things sports. Past experience working in a newsroom or publishing a newsletter is a plus, but not required. Responsibilities include: Writing stories for Yahoo Sports AM, our flagship daily newsletter Developing new section ideas and providing research for larger features Assisting with our growing network of newsletters (AM, Sports Biz, Fantasy, and more) More details: This is a fully remote position, so you can work from wherever. You may be asked to work some nights, early mornings and weekends. To apply: Send an email to kendall.baker@yahooinc.com with the subject line: "Application." Tell me a little bit about yourself, and why you'd be a good fit. Please also attach your résumé. ⚾️ BIG SLUMPER WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT CAL RALEIGH (Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) Baseball is a uniquely difficult sport, so it's not unusual for even the best players to experience year-to-year slumps. But nobody saw this season coming from Cal Raleigh, whose "Big Dumper" nickname has taken on a whole new meaning in 2026. Then vs. now: Last year, Raleigh had the single greatest season ever by a catcher, losing a close MVP race only because Aaron Judge did Aaron Judge things. This year? The Mariners backstop is, without exaggeration, the worst hitter in baseball. Slash line: Last year, Raleigh hit .247/.359/.589 with a .948 OPS that ranked fourth in MLB. This year? .159/.264/.299, with a .564 OPS that ranks dead last among the 165 hitters with at least 350 plate appearances. HR and RBI: Last year, Raleigh became the seventh player in MLB history to hit 60 home runs, and also led the AL with 125 RBI. This year? 12 HR (on pace for 17) and 43 RBI. The icing on the cake: Last year, Big Dumper put up 7.2 wins above replacement, second only to Judge's 9.7 among position players. This year? Big Slumper is at -0.4 WAR. In other words, he's been worth nearly half a loss this season for the floundering Mariners (56-64). What he's saying: Raleigh didn't mince words after another 0-4 showing in Tuesday's loss to the Yankees: "It starts with me. I'm awful. It is what it is." How is this happening? It would be one thing if Raleigh's 2025 had come out of nowhere, but this was a rising star who'd averaged 30 HR per year in his previous three seasons. He's 29 and ostensibly in the heart of his prime, despite mounting evidence to the contrary. The struggles began with an 0-for-9 showing in the World Baseball Classic and continued with an 0-for-38 slump in early May. An oblique injury that later landed him on the shelf for a month could have been the culprit, but he's been just as bad since returning from the IL in June. The root of the issue appears to be Raleigh's sudden lack of ability to make good contact: His hard-hit rate has dropped from a sterling 49.6% to a pedestrian 34.5%, and his perennially high strikeout rate has climbed to an even worse 32%. Worst falloff ever? Raleigh's stiffest competition may have come 95 years ago, when Cubs slugger Hack Wilson had 13 HR a year after hitting 56 and winning MVP (though his .798 OPS far outpaced Raleigh's .564). The decline was so shocking that the Cubs hired a PI "to see if late-night carousing was the source of Wilson's woes," as WSJ noted ($). The Mariners, as far as we know, have not gone to those lengths with their starting catcher… yet. ⚾️ PRIVATE EQUITY BRONX BOMBERS LAND BILLIONS (Dustin Satloff/Getty Images) Institutional investors are advancing further into the sports asset class, drawn to the unique appeal offered by scarcity, stable cash flows, and unparalleled cultural resonance. Now, the pinstriped suits of private equity are investing in the pinstriped uniforms of baseball's most fabled franchise. Billions to the Bronx: Yankee Global Enterprises, the holding company that owns the Yankees, announced a $2.6 billion financing agreement with Apollo Sports Capital on Tuesday. The investment is a mix of credit and equity, providing the Yankees with capital to invest in growth and refinance debt. The Steinbrenner family will remain the controlling owners. Apollo, the global alternative asset manager with over $1 trillion in assets under management, has long invested in the sports ecosystem. However, the firm formalized its sports approach with a dedicated vehicle in late 2025, launching Apollo Sports Capital. To date, ASC's high-profile investments have come in soccer. The company became a minority investor in Wrexham in December 2025, before making a bigger splash in March by becoming Atlético Madrid's majority shareholder. Keep reading: This is an excerpt from today's edition of Yahoo Sports Biz, which hits inboxes in a few hours. Sign up here to get the full breakdown of the Yankees' private equity deal — plus more insights about the evolving world of sports business. Disclosure: Yahoo is a portfolio company of funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management. 🏈 WIN-NOW MODE JOE BRADY'S SUPER BOWL MANDATE Rookie head coach Joe Brady takes the helm in Buffalo this season. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images) Jay Busbee, Yahoo Sports: Most new NFL head coaches arrive at their jobs with muted expectations: Win a few more games than last year. Maybe make the playoffs. Stop embarrassing us as a franchise and a city. For Joe Brady, new head coach of the Buffalo Bills, the expectations are more straightforward: Win a Super Bowl. Or else. That's what happens when you take over a team that won 12 games last season, a team quarterbacked by an MVP in the absolute prime of his career, a team that's spent the last seven years beating its fists bloody on the heavy iron door of the playoffs. Forget honeymoons; Brady's seat may as well be warm already. And he's just fine with that. "I didn't take this job to shy away from expectations," Brady said after being hired. "I know what I signed up for and I'm going to embrace it because no one rises to low expectations. I want what this city wants." (Davis Long/Yahoo Sports) Brady, 36, is the youngest current NFL head coach, but in the era of Sean McVay, age ain't nothing but a number. Here's another number: 29.6, the number of points Buffalo has averaged in the past two seasons with Brady as offensive coordinator. That mark is second in the league only to Detroit. In the two seasons Brady has been the full-time OC, Buffalo has ranked in the top 10 in average yards per game, rushing yards per game, passing yards per game and red zone efficiency. No rookie head coach in history has arrived at his job with quite the pressure Brady has, but then few rookie head coaches arrive with Buffalo's level of talent already in-house. Is Brady up to the task of running the whole team? We're about to find out. 🏈 DRAFT KIT COLLEGE FANTASY: TOP PLAYERS (Dillon Minshall/Yahoo Sports) While you're debating Bijan Robinson vs. Jahmyr Gibbs, it's worth remembering that Yahoo College Fantasy Football is here, too. And we've got everything you need to dominate your league in our draft kit, courtesy of Yahoo Sports' Eric Froton. Top players: Our Top 300 rankings skew heavily in favor of running backs, but we also have top players by position, including the new Team Offense position. QB: Arch Manning (Texas), Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss), Devon Dampier (Utah), Drew Mestemaker (Oklahoma State), Sam Leavitt (LSU) RB: Kewan Lacy (Ole Miss), Caleb Hawkins (Oklahoma State), LJ Martin (BYU), Jadan Baugh (Florida), DeSean Bishop (Tennessee) WR: Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State), Malachi Toney (Miami), Nick Marsh (Indiana), Amare Thomas (Houston), Cam Coleman (Texas) TE: Trey'Dez Green (LSU), Jamari Johnson (Oregon), Terrance Carter Jr. (Texas Tech), DJ Vonnahme (Iowa), Dylan Wade (UCF) Team Offense: Notre Dame, Indiana, Ohio State, Texas Tech, Oregon D/ST: Ohio State, Notre Dame, Indiana, Georgia, Miami 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: WEDNESDAY, AUG. 12 (Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images) ⛳️ U.S. Amateur Championship Merion Golf Club outside Philadelphia hosts the 126th U.S. Amateur Championship, where the field of 312 has been whittled down after two days of stroke play. There will be a playoff this morning to determine the final spots in match play before the Round of 64 tees off (3pm ET, Peacock). Notable cuts: Among those who missed the cut are defending champion Mason Howell and last year's runner-up Jackson Herrington, as well as Preston Stout, the world's top-ranked amateur. 🎾 Canadian Open, Semifinals On the men's side: No. 20 Rafael Jódar vs. No. 28 Brandon Nakashima (6pm, Tennis) followed by No. 5 Ben Shelton vs. No. 12 Learner Tien. On the women's side: No. 7 Iga Świątek vs. No. 9 Elina Svitolina (7pm) followed by No. 2 Elena Rybakina vs. No. 4 Coco Gauff. Meteoric rise: Jódar was ranked 540th in the world a year ago. The worst he will be ranked when this tournament ends is 11th. More to watch: ⚽️ UEFA Super Cup: PSG vs. Aston Villa (3pm, CBSSN) … Red Bull Arena in Salzburg, Austria, hosts the annual match between the reigning winners of the Champions League (PSG) and Europa League (Aston Villa). ⚾️ MLB: Mariners at Yankees (7pm, ESPN); Rangers at Angels (10pm, ESPN) … Seattle's Bryce Miller (3.08 ERA, 0.95 WHIP) looks to get back on track after losing four of his last five starts. 🏀 WNBA: Tempo at Wings (8pm, USA); Sky at Valkyries (10pm, USA) … The Wings (19-14) have lost three straight to fall into eighth place; the Valkyries (23-9) have won four straight to climb into second. 🎰 LET'S PLAY SPORTS JEOPARDY Answer at the bottom. 📸 THROUGH THE LENS PHOTO FINISH (Phil Walter/Getty Images) 🇳🇿 Auckland, New Zealand — Steam rises from the scrum during a National Provincial Championship rugby match between North Harbour and Counties Manukau. You're not playing proper rugby until the scrum starts looking like a campfire. Jeopardy answer question: What is "tripping"? Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted August 16 Author Members Posted August 16 👋 Good morning! It's a great day to have a day. So have one. Queen of the 1500: Katie Ledecky won another international gold medal in the 1500 freestyle on Wednesday, extending her unbeaten streak in the event that now stretches over 15 years. In today's edition: Lakers sold (again!), the vanishing QB1 in preseason, hating Ohio State, MLB power rankings, Westbrook retires, Field of Dreams Game, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🏀 BOMBSHELL BUY LAKERS SOLD (AGAIN!) (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) On Tuesday, the New York Yankees announced a $2.6 billion financing agreement with Apollo Sports Capital. On Wednesday, another iconic sports franchise, the Los Angeles Lakers, were sold for the second time in nine months. Welcome to the age of sports as big business. Changing hands: Investor Josh Kushner and former Disney boss Bob Iger are purchasing the Lakers for $12.5 billion from Mark Walter, who bought the controlling stake in the team from the Buss family less than a year ago, closing the deal in October at a $10 billion valuation. The bombshell sale news comes just weeks after it was reported that Walter's businesses are the subjects of a federal investigation. Bloomberg additionally reported Wednesday that the sale comes as Walter is seeking cash to pay down the companies' scrutinized loans. According to both the Los Angeles Times and The Athletic, Walter has no plans to sell the Dodgers, which he and his partners at Guggenheim Baseball Management purchased in 2012. Wild stat: The $2.5 billion increase in the Lakers' sale value alone, achieved in just nine months, is more than any NBA team had ever sold for before 2019. Mark Walter at a Dodgers charity event in 2022. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images) The incoming owners: Kushner founded venture capital firm Thrive Capital, while Iger is the former two-time CEO of Disney, who is also apparently a Clippers fan! The pair was previously reported to be among the suitors for the NBA's Las Vegas expansion franchise. Kushner owns a minority stake in the Heat, which he will have to sell, and Iger is the majority owner of Angel City FC. Kushner-led Thrive Eternal was positioned as the lead investor in the now-canceled FIFA Forward Enterprise entity, and it previously acquired a stake in the San Francisco Giants. While the ownership structure for the Lakers deal is not yet clear, Thrive Eternal could own up to 20% of the Lakers under NBA rules. Loud and clear: For the moment, amid the many questions, one signal is crystal clear. The valuations for the premier assets in sports are rising incomprehensibly fast. This story first appeared in Yahoo Sports Biz, our new sports business newsletter authored by Dylan Dittrich. 🏈 BACKUP PARTY NFL PRESEASON: THE VANISHING QB1 (Source: Neil Paine; Data: NFL GSIS) The NFL preseason kicks off in earnest tonight. Once upon a time, that meant getting a decent look at your team's starting quarterback. Not anymore. By the numbers: QB1s accounted for roughly 35% of preseason passes in 2001, reflecting how starters were used at the time: a series or two in the preseason opener, more in Game 2, extended action in Game 3, then little or no action in the finale. That trend began to break in the 2010s, when first-string QBs went from throwing 33.5% of preseason passes in 2011 to just 12.1% of passes in 2019. The slide has continued into the 2020s, and last preseason saw the number dip below 10% for the first time (9.8%). Bottom line: The NFL preseason used to be a dress rehearsal for starters, at least some of the time. Now it's mostly an audition for backups — and the disappearing QB1 is the clearest evidence of that shift. The chart and data in this story are courtesy of Neil Paine, who is an awesome dude and writes an excellent Substack. 🏈 THE RIVALRY HATE HARDER, COACH! Kyle Whittingham speaks with his team following the annual Spring Game. (Jaime Crawford/Getty Images for ONIT) Dan Wolken, Yahoo Sports: Kyle Whittingham's first season at Michigan is beginning under a cloud of scandal that is shocking the state. No, he's not hacking into female students' photo libraries or illegally scouting opposing teams or sleeping with his administrative assistant. Those are garden-variety scandals in the Michigan program over the last few years. In the eyes of some Michigan fans, their head coach is committing a far more serious offense: He doesn't hate Ohio State enough. "Would we have a better chance to win if I hated them?" Whittingham said. "I don't understand. Whatever gives us the best chance to win, I'm all for. Want to beat them worse than anybody around so I don't know how that got to be such a hot topic." Whittingham's comment Monday, in response to a topic that came out of Big Ten media days a couple weeks ago, is like touching the third rail of college coaching. To admit that you don't have as much visceral hate for your rival as the fan base? Bravo to Whittingham for eschewing the performative nonsense many coaches engage in and approaching his job like a fully grown adult. And, brother, best of luck to him. Because if there is one thing Michigan fans won't tolerate, it's the idea that their new head football coach doesn't have Ryan Day lodged in his brain from the time he takes his morning shower to the time he lays his head on the pillow. ⚾️ POST-DEADLINE MLB POWER RANKINGS: NL SUPREMACY (Bruno Rouby/Yahoo Sports) The Brewers have surged to the top of our first post-trade deadline MLB power rankings, a list that remains heavily skewed towards the superior National League, which boasts four of the top five teams and seven of the top 10. (Bruno Rouby/Yahoo Sports) Dive in: Full power rankings 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: THURSDAY, AUG. 13 (Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images) ⚾️ Field of Dreams Game MLB's coolest event is back after a three-year hiatus, with the Twins and Phillies playing tonight (7:30pm ET, Netflix) amongst the cornfields of Dyersville, Iowa, at the site of the iconic 1989 film. Game history: The inaugural event took place in 2021, when the White Sox beat the Yankees in a wild 9-8 affair capped by Tim Anderson's walk-off homer. A year later, the Cubs beat the Reds in a game highlighted by a father-son moment between Ken Griffey Jr. and Sr., who had a catch in the outfield a la the movie. ⛳️ FedEx St. Jude Championship The PGA Tour's playoffs begin today at TPC Southwind in Memphis (9am, ESPN/2pm, Golf), where 69 golfers are competing for a $20 million purse and, more importantly, one of the 50 spots in next week's BMW Championship. Notable pairings: Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy tee off at 9:30am, fan favorites Tommy Fleetwood and Jordan Spieth tee off at 9:10am, and rookie Jackson Koivun — who qualified despite playing in just five events as a professional — is the first man off the tee at 8:10am, playing all by his lonesome. 🎾 Canadian Open, Finals No. 5 Ben Shelton, the defending champion, takes on fellow American and 28th-seeded Brandon Nakashima for the title in Montreal (8pm, Tennis). And in Toronto, we've got No. 2 Elena Rybakina against No. 7 Iga Świątek (7:10pm, Tennis). Streak on the line: Świątek has won at least one title every year since 2020, but has yet to claim one this year as the Pole has largely struggled to find her form. Can she take down Rybakina to keep the streak alive? 🏈 NFL Preseason Last week's Hall of Fame Game was the appetizer. Tonight, we get the main course, with a six-game slate to open the first official week of preseason. Schedule: Lions at Bengals (7pm, NFL+); Packers at Steelers (7pm, NFL); Colts at Patriots (7:30pm, NFL+); Cardinals at Raiders (8pm, ESPN+); Chargers at Texans (8pm, NFL+); Titans at 49ers (9pm, NFL). More to watch: ⛳️ Golf: U.S. Amateur Championship (3pm, NBCSN/Peacock) … The Round of 16 tees off at Merion Golf Club outside Philadelphia. 🏊 Swimming: Pan Pacific Championships (1pm, Peacock) … The star-studded event is back on U.S. soil (Irvine, California) for the first time since 2010. 🏀 WNBA: Sparks at Liberty (8pm, Prime); Mystics at Aces (10pm, Prime) … The Mystics (19-13) will be seeking revenge against the Aces (23-11), who snapped their seven-game winning streak on Tuesday. 🏀 MR. TRIPLE-DOUBLE TRIVIA TIME (Ethan Palowitz/Yahoo Sports) NBA legend Russell Westbrook, who announced his retirement on Wednesday, played 18 seasons for seven different teams. Question: Can you name all seven? Hint: Six West, one East. Answer at the bottom. 🏀 NBA SCHEDULE THE KING HOLDS COURT ON OPENING NIGHT (Bruno Rouby/Yahoo Sports) It's no wonder Adam Silver was urging LeBron James to make his free-agency decision so that the league could set the schedule. NBA Opening Night just isn't the same without King James, and his 76ers will meet the Knicks in the second leg of the season-opening triple-header. Opening Night (Oct. 20): Celtics at Pistons: Our first look at Boston in the post-Jaylen Brown era. 76ers at Knicks: The get-in price for this game is currently over $2,000. Thunder at Spurs: Wemby vs. SGA in a Western Conference Finals rematch. Primetime player: LeBron didn't appear on Opening Night for the first five seasons of his career. Since then, his team has featured in 17 of the last 19 seasons, and the Sixers' inclusion extends his current streak to eight years. Oddly enough, the last time James didn't appear on opening night was in his first season as a Laker, in 2018. Trivia answer: Thunder (11 years), Lakers (2), Clippers (2), Rockets, Wizards, Kings, Nuggets Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted August 16 Author Members Posted August 16 🎉 Yahoo! It's Friday! You made it. In today's edition: Schwarbombs in Iowa, Shelton repeats in Canada, NFL valuations, MLS midseason snapshot, Weekend Watchlist, Guess the Logo, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🌽 FIELD OF DREAMS A RETURN TO THE CORN (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) The Phillies crushed the Twins, 7-1, on Thursday in MLB's first Field of Dreams Game since 2022 behind a gem from Aaron Nola (5 IP, 1 ER, 9 K) and Kyle Schwarber's MLB-leading 36th and 37th home runs. Jake Mintz, Yahoo Sports: It's not easy to get to Dyersville, Iowa. For those not within driving distance, the most common route involves a flight to Chicago, a three-hour drive across Illinois and a hotel in the quaint riverside city of Dubuque. From there, Dyersville is a 45-minute jaunt down Route 20. Convenient it is not. And yet, 7,163 ballfans, 54 active ballplayers and 26 Hall of Famers made the journey on Thursday, congregating beneath the cornstalks and the rolling hills for a night of pomp and circumstance and nostalgia laid on as thick as butter. The vignettes, the images, the emotions of this game make the immense cost worth it. See you next season? Fans won't have to wait another four years to descend on the iconic Iowa cornfield. The Des Moines Register reported Thursday that MLB will return next season (assuming there is one) in what appears to be a game between the Red Sox and Royals. 🏈 NFL VALUATIONS BIG GAINS ON THE GRIDIRON (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports, Data: Sportico) The average NFL franchise is worth a whopping $9.34 billion, per Sportico's annual valuations. That's a 31% increase over last year, marking the largest jump since Sportico's first valuations in 2020. The Cowboys ($15.5B) lead the way as always, followed by the Rams ($12.7B), Giants ($12B), Patriots ($10.4B) and Jets ($10.35B). Football is king: The Bengals are the NFL's least valuable team ($7.4B). Yet there are only six teams outside the NFL worth more than them: the Lakers, Knicks, Warriors, Dodgers, Yankees and Real Madrid. 🌍 SNAPSHOTS THE WORLD IN PHOTOS (Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) 🇨🇦 Montreal, Canada — Ben Shelton successfully defended his Canadian Open title on Thursday, defeating fellow American Brandon Nakashima to become just the third man since 1990 to win this event without dropping a set. Meanwhile, in Toronto: Iga Świątek dominated Elena Rybakina, 6-2, 6-3, for her first title of the year and her 12th career WTA 1000 title, passing Aryna Sabalenka for the second-most since the format's introduction in 2009. Only Serena Williams (13) has more. (Ian Maule/Getty Images) 🇺🇸 Las Vegas, Nevada — No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza made some nice plays in his preseason debut for the Raiders. Kirk Cousins remains the starter, but don't be surprised if Mendoza is nipping at his heels once the regular season gets underway. Preseason storylines: Mendoza's debut, Packers RB intrigue, Browns QB battle and more The women's triple jump medalists celebrate together on Thursday. (Julian Finney/Getty Images) 🏴 Birmingham, England — The 27th European Athletics Championships are underway, with 1,600+ athletes from 49 nations competing in the first-ever edition held in the United Kingdom. Host nation bump: Halfway through the weeklong event, Great Britain and Northern Ireland lead all nations with four gold medals, already matching their haul from two years ago in Rome. ⚽️ STANDINGS MLS SNAPSHOT: MIDWAY POINT (Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports) The MLS regular season has reached its midpoint, with every team having played at least 17 of their 34 matches. Here's a quick look at where things stand as the action picks back up after largely pausing for Leagues Cup these past two weeks. Dynamic duo: Nashville SC and Inter Miami are in a league of their own, sitting atop the East by a sizable margin and leading all teams in the West by at least four points, too. As fate would have it, they square off against each other tomorrow in Music City (8:30pm ET, Apple). Nashville (12-2-4) have allowed the fewest goals in the league (14) on the strength of Brian Schwake's eight clean sheets. They're also tied with the West's top team, Vancouver, for the best goal differential (21), and are the only club still unbeaten at home. Miami (11-2-5) are dominating on the other side of the ball, scoring an MLS-best 45 goals (tied with Cincinnati). Lionel Messi (12 goals), Luis Suárez (10) and Germán Berterame (7) have combined to score more goals than 15 entire teams. Elsewhere: Vancouver (10-3-4) sits atop the West, though they've won just two of their last eight games. Outside of Nashville and Miami, the hottest teams are second-place LAFC (unbeaten in five straight), fourth-place Houston (six straight), and seventh-place St. Louis (eight straight). Looking ahead: Prepare for an exciting playoff race, as the East's 5-11 seeds and the West's 5-13 seeds are separated by just six games. (As a reminder: the top nine teams per conference make the playoffs.) 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WEEKEND WATCHLIST Ledecky stands on the podium after winning gold in the 1500m. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) 🏊 Pan Pacific Championships There are two days left in the Pan Pacs (Fri-Sat, Peacock), the quadrennial meet for swimmers from non-European nations that is being held for the first time since 2018 due to COVID disrupting the calendar. Ledecky watch: Katie Ledecky dominated her first individual event (1500m free), and the most decorated female swimmer of all time still has two tantalizing matchups left: the 400m free against Canadian phenom Summer McIntosh (Fri. 10pm), and the 800m free (Sat. 11:50pm). ⛳️ FedEx St. Jude Championship The first playoff event continues in Memphis (Fri-Sun, Golf/ESPN/CBS), where five golfers are tied for the lead at 5-under after the opening round as the 69-player field fights for one of the 50 spots in next week's BMW Championship. Skating by no more: One of those co-leaders is Jordan Spieth, who's the only golfer that qualified for the playoffs without a single top-10 finish this season. Will this be the week he breaks the spell? 🏈 NFL Preseason The first weekend slate delivers three games tonight and seven more tomorrow, including Broncos at Falcons (Fri. 7pm, ESPN+), Rams at Chiefs (Sat. 4pm, NFL) and Cowboys at Seahawks (Sat. 8pm, NFL). Finding an edge: Betting on preseason football might sound like a fool's errand, but there's real value in these games if you know how to find it, writes Yahoo Sports' Corbie Craig. More to watch: 🏈 IFL Championship: Green Bay Blizzard vs. Arizona Rattlers (Sun. 7:30pm, Yahoo Sports) … A champion will be crowned, live on Yahoo Sports Network (free to watch). ⚾️ MLB: Cardinals at Cubs (Fri. 2:20pm, Apple); Yankees at Blue Jays (Fri. 7:15pm, Apple); Orioles at Rays (Sun. 12:15pm, Peacock); Mariners at Astros (Sun. 7:20pm, NBC) 🏀 WNBA: Lynx at Aces (Sat. 8pm, CBS); Fever at Dream (Sun. 5pm, ESPN) … Four of the league's top five teams. ⚽️ MLS: Nashville vs. Miami (Sat. 8:30pm, Apple) … The league's top two teams battle in Music City. ⚽️ Community Shield: Arsenal vs. Manchester City (Sun. 10am, ESPN) … Annual match between the reigning Premier League and FA Cup winners. ⚽️ NWSL: Gotham FC vs. KC Current (Fri. 8pm, Prime); Angel City vs. Washington Spirit (Sun. 9pm, ESPN) … Gotham (12-3-4) and Washington (11-5-3) sit atop the standings. 👊 UFC 330: Islam Makhachev vs. Ian Machado Garry (Sat. 9pm, Paramount+) … The welterweight title bout headlines the card in Philadelphia. Plus: ⛳️ U.S. Amateur (Fri-Sun, NBC/Peacock); 🏁 NASCAR in Richmond (Sat. 7pm, USA); 🏁 IndyCar in Ontario (Sun. 12pm, Fox); 🥍 PLL in Philadelphia (Sat-Sun, ESPN/ABC); ⚾️ WPBL (Fri-Sun, ESPN+) 🔎 ZOOMED IN GUESS THE LOGO Question: Can you guess this zoomed in NFL logo? Hint: AFC. Answer at the bottom. 🏈 NEW FEATURES 29 DAYS OF FANTASY It's Yahoo Fantasy Football's 29th year. To celebrate, we're dropping a brand-new fantasy feature every day for 29 days straight. That's 29 days, 29 features, all built to help you dominate your league. Week in review: Here's what's been announced so far. Custom Recipes: A simple way for leagues to play with unique scoring formats curated by celebrities, creators and Yahoo Sports experts. Tight End Premium: One of the most-requested formats is finally here, boosting the score for TE receptions from 0.5 to 1.0 (or whatever you want). Cameo: Book a celebrity to announce and reveal your draft order, without ever leaving the app. Fantasy Ultra: Our newest subscription tier offers exclusive benefits, including an upgraded draft kit, fewer ads and up to $1,600 in partner perks. Day 5: The next feature will be announced today at 9am ET. Logo reveal: Baltimore Ravens Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted August 18 Author Members Posted August 18 💰 1 film thing: Spidey swings past $2B Data: Box Office Mojo, Variety. Chart: Shane Savitsky/Axios Eight films have now made more than $2 billion worldwide, after "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" broke the historic mark in only its third weekend, Variety reports. 🤯 What's next: Analysts are watching whether "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" could become the first movie to crack $3 billion globally and $1 billion domestically. It's at $785 million. "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" leads with $946 million. Go deeper. Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted August 18 Author Members Posted August 18 👋 Good morning! Happy Monday. MLB snapshot: If the regular season ended today, four of the five AL East teams (Rays, Yankees, Red Sox, Orioles) would make the playoffs. The only team missing? The reigning AL champions (Blue Jays), who are one game back. In today's edition: Báez blasts off, the sports moat, Scheffler cruises to victory, the longest winning streak in UFC history, Naismith Hall of Fame welcomes Class of 2026, Arsenal beats City, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES ⚽️ The end is near: The upcoming season is "probably my last year of football," Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, said in an interview following his wedding. If that's the case, then Al-Nassr's game tomorrow will mark the final season-opener of his career. 🎾 Down goes Djoker: Novak Djokovic fell to Argentina's Thiago Tirante in the first round of the Cincinnati Open, where the 39-year-old struggled with the heat and humidity due to an unspecified health issue "that has been bothering me for the past couple of years." ⛳️ Whaley wins U.S. Amateur: England's Jack Whaley defeated California native Jay Leng Jr., to win the U.S. Amateur on Sunday. With the win, the rising senior at Florida State earned his spot in next year's Masters, U.S. Open and Open Championship. ⚽️ Barça land Rodri: Barcelona have reportedly reached an agreement worth roughly $88 million to sign Rodri from Manchester City. The Spanish superstar, who had just one year left on his contract, won the 2024 Ballon d'Or and the Golden Ball at last month's World Cup. 🏈 NFL headlines: Eight-time Pro Bowl linebacker Von Miller is joining the Cowboys for his 15th NFL season; the Seahawks made three-time Pro Bowler Devon Witherspoon the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history (4-year, $132M extension); Aaron Donald worked out for the Rams again, and Sean McVay hopes for his decision "sooner than later." ⚾️ THREE SWINGS A DEBUT FOR THE AGES (Jessie Alcheh/Getty Images) There has never, in the long and celebrated history of Major League Baseball, been a better debut than the one Cardinals rookie Joshua Báez authored on Saturday at Wrigley Field, where he became the first player ever to go deep in the first three plate appearances of a career. Jake Mintz, Yahoo Sports: The 23-year-old slugger got things started with a bang, pulverizing the 0-0 pitch of his first at-bat 449 feet over the batter's eye in dead center. That sent the Cardinals' dugout into a frenzy. Players banged uncontrollably on the dugout railing. Coaches stood shellshocked, mouths agape. Báez couldn't stop smiling as he floated around the bases. It was a magnificent opening salvo for a player whose calling card is light-tower power. It was also just the start. Báez went yard again in his second trip to the dish. Savvy veteran Matthew Boyd tried to sneak a full-count changeup past Báez. The hulking slugger turned it into a souvenir, pulling the offering down the left-field line over the ivy and into the seats. And he wasn't done. With a runner on first in the top of the sixth, Báez got the better of Boyd yet again, poking an outer-half slider into the front row in right. Three at-bats, three homers, all to different parts of the yard. It was a debut beyond anyone's wildest dreams. For Báez, the Cardinals' 8-4 victory was the experience of a lifetime and an appropriate introduction to the big-league ball fans who might spend the next decade watching him turn hangers into bangers. Fun fact: Before Saturday, only two MLB players had gone yard in their first two at-bats, let alone three: Bob Nieman of the St. Louis Browns (1951) and Keith McDonald of the Cardinals (2000). That's right — three players have homered in two straight at-bats to start their careers, and all three played in St. Louis. Báez's backstory: The Cardinals' new outfielder displayed legendary power from his early days growing up in Boston 📈 MONEYBALL THE SPORTS MOAT (Hayden Hodge/Yahoo Sports) It's hard to imagine a week that could have illustrated the perceived long-term value of sports better than last week. In the span of three days, remarkable investment news swirled around three of the most iconic teams in the world. Wednesday: Apollo Sports Capital made a $2.6 billion investment in Yankee Global Enterprises, reportedly valuing the Yankees at close to $10 billion. Thursday: The Lakers sold for $12.5 billion to venture capitalist Josh Kushner and former Disney CEO Bob Iger, less than a year after the team previously sold for $10 billion. Friday: A consortium that includes Jeff Bezos and Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin acquired a minority stake in Liverpool, reportedly amounting to approximately 30% and valuing the club at over $7 billion. Consider the crowd: Represented in those three acquirers, you have one of the most successful venture capitalists in tech, one of the foremost giants of private equity, and one of the wealthiest people on the planet. All of whom have decided that sports is among the best places for their capital over the coming decades as the AI age accelerates. The moat around the field: In a world awash with impermanence, sports offer the closest thing to a sense of durability that we have. Industries rise and fall, but you know what doesn't change? The Yankees take the field in the Bronx to the roars of tens of thousands of New Yorkers. Hollywood's superstars find their place at courtside to watch the Lakers. 80 years ago, the average lifespan of a U.S. S&P 500 company was 67 years. As of 2023, that number had dwindled to just 15, according to Ernst & Young, and it's hard to imagine the AI era prolonging that lifespan in the years ahead. But in sports, a "Big Four" team hasn't ceased operations since the NHL's Cleveland Barons in 1978. Our teams are part of our communal fabric — part of our identity — and that's what makes them such reliable long-term bets. The more things change: The world is changing fast, and it will continue to do so. But will there ever be a world where we aren't inspired by the spirit of human achievement? Where we aren't captivated by live, unscripted competition? Where we don't revel in our collective enjoyment of those spectacles? If there is, we don't long to see it, and neither do some of the world's sharpest investors. This is an excerpt from a story that first appeared in Yahoo Sports Biz, our new sports business newsletter authored by Dylan Dittrich. Read the full story. 💯 STAT SHEET BIG NUMBERS Scheffler won the first playoff event by a whopping eight strokes. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images) ⛳️ $119.96 million Scottie Scheffler ran away with the FedEx St. Jude Championship to notch his second win of the year and pocket a cool $3.6 million, increasing his career PGA Tour earnings to $119.96 million. That's the second-most ever and roughly $1 million shy of Tiger Woods' record ($121M), a mark that both Scheffler and Rory McIlroy ($116.5M) could surpass by month's end. In and out: Sungjae Im, who finished T5, was the only golfer to jump into the Top 50 this weekend, earning a spot in next week's BMW Championship. He swapped spots with Keith Mitchell, who fell from 49th to 51st. Jordan Spieth looked like he'd be moving on, too, but stumbled after a strong start to narrowly miss the Top 50. 👊 17 straight wins Islam Makhachev successfully defended his welterweight title at UFC 330 on Saturday in Philadelphia, defeating Ian Machado Garry via unanimous decision for his 17th consecutive victory. That breaks a tie with Anderson Silva for the longest winning streak in UFC history. Meanwhile, in Atlanta: Two-time Olympic gold medalist Claressa Shields destroyed Kaye Scott via sixth-round TKO on Saturday to pick up the WBA and WBC middleweight titles and improve to 19-0 lifetime. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) 🏊♀️ 23.19 seconds Kate Douglass broke the world record in the 50m freestyle — twice — on Saturday at the Pan Pacific Championships. In her preliminary heat, she swam a 23.49 to narrowly eclipse the mark (23.55) set two months ago by her training partner, Gretchen Walsh; in the final, she smashed that record with a blistering 23.19 to win gold, while Walsh took home silver. More from Pan Pacs: The USA dominated the medal table with 19 golds and 50 total medals, but the biggest individual winner was probably Australia's Lani Pallister, who won four golds and a silver, and stunned Katie Ledecky in the 400m and 800m free. The latter was Ledecky's first loss ever in the 800m free in an international competition. 🏀 12th team The Cavaliers have traded Dennis Schröder to the Hornets, which will be the 12th team he's suited up for during his 13-year NBA career. That's tied for the second-most by any player in league history, trailing only Ish Smith (13 teams). A journeyman's journey: The German point guard, a 2013 first-rounder, spent his first five seasons with the Hawks. Since then, Schröder has had stints with the Thunder (2018-20), Lakers (2020-21), Celtics (2021-22), Rockets (2022), Lakers (2022-23), Raptors (2023-24), Nets (2024), Warriors (2024-25), Pistons (2025), Kings (2025-26) and Cavaliers (2026). 🌍 SNAPSHOTS THE WORLD IN PHOTOS (Elsa/Getty Images) 🇺🇸 Springfield, Massachusetts — The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame welcomed its eight-person 2026 class on Saturday. Players Candace Parker, Elena Delle Donne, Chamique Holdsclaw and Amar'e Stoudemire were joined by coaches Doc Rivers, Mark Few, and Mike D'Antoni, and referee Joey Crawford in enshrinement. Who's got next? With just one NBA player getting the call this year, who could earn an orange jacket next year? Some notable names include Blake Griffin (a finalist this year), LaMarcus Aldridge, Marc Gasol and Andre Iguodala. (Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) 🏴 Cardiff, Wales — Arsenal blanked Manchester City, 3-0, on Sunday to win the FA Community Shield, an annual match between the reigning Premier League (Arsenal) and FA Cup winners (City). Déjà vu: The Gunners' 3-0 win was the largest margin of victory in the FA Community Shield since 2014… when Arsenal beat Man City, 3-0. (Pau Barrena/Getty Images) 🇩🇪 Düsseldorf, Germany — The USA men defeated Italy on Sunday for their sixth straight Flag Football World Championship, while the Canadian women upset the USA for their first title since 2014. Those four nations, plus bronze medalists Canada (men) and Mexico (women), all qualified for LA 2028, where flag football will make its Olympics debut. Group stage stunner: Before regrouping to win the title, the U.S. men were stunned on Friday by American Samoa and Taulia Tagovailoa (5 TD), the former Maryland standout and younger brother of Falcons QB Tua. It was the Americans' first loss in a competitive game since 2012. (William West/AFP via Getty Images) 🇦🇺 Darwin, Australia — Bangladesh pulled off one of the greatest upsets in Test cricket history on Sunday when they beat top-ranked Australia on their own soil. It was Bangladesh's first win Down Under, and nothing short of their finest victory in 26 years of playing the game's longest format. By the numbers: Australia's 48.35% winning percentage is by far the best among the 12 Test cricket-playing nations (South Africa is second, at 39.87%), while Bangladesh's mark of 17.5% ranks second-to-last. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: MONDAY, AUG. 17 Rookie studs Kevin McGonigle and Max Clark are leading the way for Detroit. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) ⚾️ Tigers at Pirates Pittsburgh hosts Detroit (7pm ET, ESPN) in tonight's edition of the Rust Belt rivalry, with Framber Valdez (7-8, 4.26 ERA) starting for the Tigers and Carmen Mlodzinski (6-5, 3.79 ERA) starting for the Pirates. Tigers hanging on: Despite trading away Tarik Skubal, Detroit (60-64) is right in the thick of the crowded race for the AL's final wild card spot, which features seven teams separated by just 2.5 games. It helps that the Tigers have the AL's second-best run differential (+83). More to watch: 🏀 WNBA: Wings at Valkyries (10pm, Peacock) … Tonight's lone game pits second-place Golden State (24-9) against eighth-place Dallas (20-15). 🎾 Tennis: Cincinnati Open (11am, Tennis) … Round of 32 action for Alex Eala, Jessica Pegula, Rafael Jódar, Alexander Zverev and more. ⚾️ LET'S PLAY TRIVIA TIME Tommy John in Yankee Stadium circa 1987. (Focus on Sport/Getty Images) Longtime MLB pitcher Tommy John, the namesake and first recipient of baseball's most important surgery, died on Sunday after a battle with bladder cancer. He was 83. Question: Tommy John surgery reconstructs the elbow's UCL. What does UCL stand for? Answer at the bottom. 🍿 SPORTS DOC WATCH: "HOW WE ROLL" Yahoo Media Group and The Nonfiction Hotlist invited filmmakers worldwide to submit documentary shorts for recognition and distribution. Nearly 1,000 filmmakers answered the call — and now, the results are in! Five films were selected in the Sports category, and we'll be sharing one each day this week ahead of our inaugural Film Festival this weekend. Title: How We Roll Director: Anthony Ciancio Runtime: 16 minutes About the film: How We Roll takes viewers inside the Elmwood Park Bocce League, a community-run gathering place in the Chicago suburbs where neighbors of all ages come together through a shared love of the game. Trivia answer: Ulnar collateral ligament Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted August 19 Author Members Posted August 19 👋 Good morning! Exciting news: GeoSports is back in Yahoo Sports AM, and I'll be writing the questions every Tuesday. In today's edition: The new face of sports ownership, the AL's hilarious wild card race, Buckeyes top preseason poll, the NBA's national attractions, "Confessions of a Jumbotron Addict," and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES ⚾️ NL MVP duel heats up: Shohei Ohtani and Pete Crow-Armstrong are now in dead heat for the NL MVP (-110) after both went nuclear with nearly identical games on Monday (4-5, 2 HR, 3 RBI). PCA's second blast was a walk-off to reach 30 HR and 30 SB on the year. ⛳️ LIV cancels finale: LIV Golf has officially canceled its team championship in Michigan, the latest in a series of setbacks. This week's event in Indianapolis will now be the season finale as the reeling tour tries to reimagine itself "as a fundamentally new league" moving forward. 🎾 Williams sisters lose in reunion: Venus and Serena Williams played their first official doubles match together since 2022 on Monday at the Cincinnati Open, where they fell in three sets to Peyton Stearns and Marta Kostyuk in the first round. 🏈 Colts add Allen: The Colts have struck a one-year, $8.32 million deal with Keenan Allen, whose 1,055 career receptions rank second among active players (behind Travis Kelce's 1,080) and 13th all-time. That's music to Daniel Jones' ears. 📉 Nike hits 12-year low: Nike stock dropped 4% on Monday for its lowest close ($39.09) since September 2014. The stock has now plummeted nearly 80% from its all-time high in 2021 amid sales declines and persistent turnaround skepticism. 📈 FAMILY BUSINESS THE NEW FACE OF SPORTS OWNERSHIP (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) How rich do you need to be to buy a professional sports team? As valuations soar, being a regular old billionaire isn't enough anymore. Jeff Eisenberg, Yahoo Sports: In spring of 1979, Jerry Buss received the phone call he had been waiting for. Jack Kent Cooke was ready to sell off his Southern California sports empire. Cooke had just gone through an acrimonious split with his wife of 40-plus years. He needed an influx of quick cash to help pay for a divorce settlement that would ultimately cost a staggering $41 million. Buss began cozying up to Cooke as soon as he learned the media and real estate tycoon might be amenable to making a deal. For more than a year, Buss periodically visited Cooke in Las Vegas to talk basketball, build rapport and discuss the framework of a potential sale. By late May, a Monopoly-like deal came together that The New York Times labeled "the largest single financial transaction in the history of professional sports" — and also the most "confusing" and "complicated." Cooke demanded that Buss acquire New York's iconic Chrysler Building for him, as well as properties in several other states. In return, Cooke sold Buss the Forum for $33.5 million, the Los Angeles Lakers for $16 million, the Los Angeles Kings for $8 million and his sprawling 13,000-acre ranch in the Sierras for $10 million. "When it was all done, there were enough escrow papers to fill a library and enough lawyers to fill the Forum," Jeanie Buss recalled in her 2010 memoir, "Laker Girl." Jerry and Jeanie Buss, pictured in 2006. (M. Phillips/WireImage) Flash forward: What seemed like an exorbitant price at the time looks like a bargain decades later as valuations skyrocket. The team Buss paid $16 million for a half-century ago just sold for $12.5 billion — and the Lakers are far from the only sought-after franchise in pro sports. Sportico last week valued the Cowboys at $15.5 billion and eight other NFL franchises at more than $10 billion. The Warriors are worth more than $11 billion, according to both Forbes and Sportico. Same with the Knicks, per JP Morgan. Even a forlorn franchise like MLB's Athletics has soared in value despite currently playing home games in a Triple-A stadium and having an owner notorious for investing as little as possible in the on-field product. A franchise that sold for $180 million in 2005 is now worth $2 billion, according to Forbes. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) The end of the family business? Jerry Buss envisioned the Lakers as something his family could own for generations. But the same explosion in value that made his children extraordinarily wealthy has made that model increasingly difficult to sustain. When teams are worth $10+ billion, the pool of individuals who can buy them shrinks — while the incentive for heirs to cash out grows as institutional capital rushes in. Which brings us to Monday: The Buss family released a statement announcing their intention to sell their remaining 17.8% stake in the Lakers to the new majority ownership group. Hours later, Jeanie Buss — Jerry's eldest daughter and the current governor of the team — said that she will contest any attempt to sell, setting the stage for a potential legal fight over the final remnants of the family business. ⚾️ WILD CARD RACE WHO WANTS THE FINAL PLAYOFF SPOT? (MLB) They're calling it the best worst playoff race in MLB history. Up for grabs: The race for the American League's final wild card spot is hilarious. Just a bunch of mediocre-to-bad teams duking it out for a spot in the postseason… where one of them will inevitably get hot and make the World Series. Baseball, baby! 🏈 TOP 25 THE PRESEASON POLL IS HERE (Yahoo Sports) The Big Ten has the top two teams in the preseason AP Top 25, with Ohio State (40 first-place votes) coming in at No. 1 and Oregon (14 first-place votes) coming in at No. 2. Rounding out the top five: Georgia, Notre Dame (6 first-place votes) and Texas. Wire-to-wire? The Buckeyes will try to become the first preseason No. 1 since 2017 (Alabama) to finish the season on top of the rankings. Last year's preseason No. 1 team, Texas, finished ranked No. 12. Notably absent: For the first time since 2011, Clemson finds itself unranked in the preseason poll. The Tigers received just 112 votes, making them technically the "No. 26" team in the country. Who takes a tumble? In 22 of the past 23 seasons, at least one AP preseason Top 10 team finished the year unranked. Three did last year: No. 2 Penn State, No. 4 Clemson and No. 9 LSU. Which Top 10 team(s) will crash out in 2026? 📺 SCHEDULE RELEASE THE NBA'S NATIONAL ATTRACTIONS (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) The NBA released its national TV schedule last week, including games airing on NBC, Peacock, ESPN, ABC and Prime Video. The allocation of games tells us much about who the league and its broadcast partners view as the biggest draws and most marketable teams. Maxed out: Teams can play a maximum of 34 nationally televised games. Just four teams received that maximum allotment: the 76ers, Spurs, Lakers and Knicks. Represented are LeBron James' new team, Victor Wembanyama, the most expensive franchise in sports history and the reigning champs. Risers and fallers: Offseason roster movement can produce significant shifts in television visibility, with some teams gaining exposure and others losing it. Giannis Antetokounmpo's move to Miami produced a 36-game swing between his new and old teams. Risers: 76ers (+20 games), Heat (+20) Fallers: Bucks (-16), Clippers (-13) Out in the cold: Five teams are tied for the fewest nationally televised games in the league. The Nets, Grizzlies, Bucks, Pelicans and Kings share that unwanted distinction, ensuring that they'll be nearly invisible outside of their local markets in the year ahead. Condolences to all the Zach Edey and Domantas Sabonis superfans out there, as well as those still holding Zion Williamson stock. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: TUESDAY, AUG. 18 PCA is doused by his teammates after Monday's walk-off blast. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images) ⚾️ White Sox at Cubs The Crosstown Series continues tonight at Wrigley Field (8:05pm ET, TBS), where the second-place Cubs (73-53) host the first-place White Sox (65-59) following Monday's series-opener — a 7-5 Cubs win on Pete Crow-Armstrong's walk-off homer in the 10th. Party like it's 1906? If the standings hold, this will be the first time since 2008 that both Chicago teams make the playoffs (not including the COVID-shortened 2020 season). And though it's a long shot, that leaves open the possibility for the first Windy City World Series since 1906. More to watch: 🏀 WNBA: Fever at Tempo (7pm, ESPN); Dream at Aces (9pm, ESPN) … Indiana (23-12) goes for its fifth straight win in Toronto (10-23); Vegas (24-12) vs. Atlanta (21-13) is a potential first-round playoff matchup. 🎾 Cincinnati Open: Round of 32 (11am, Tennis) … Taylor Fritz, Daniil Medvedev, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff and more take the court. 🌍 LET'S PLAY GEOSPORTS Exciting news! GeoSports is back in Yahoo Sports AM, and I'll be writing the questions every Tuesday. Starting next week, we'll also be adding standings and prizes. How to play: You'll be asked five trivia questions that combine sports with geography (like the question pictured above). Tap where it happened! The closer you are, the more points you get. 🍿 SPORTS SHORTS WATCH: "CONFESSIONS OF A JUMBOTRON ADDICT" Yahoo Media Group and The Nonfiction Hotlist invited filmmakers worldwide to submit documentary shorts for recognition and distribution. Nearly 1,000 filmmakers answered the call — and now, the results are in! Five films were selected in the Sports category, and we'll be sharing one each day this week ahead of our inaugural Film Festival this weekend. Title: Confessions of a Jumbotron Addict Director: Mickey Duzyj Runtime: 9 minutes About the film: For one Brooklyn Nets superfan, getting on the Jumbotron is more than a game, it's a mission. Armed with outrageous dance moves and boundless enthusiasm, he turns a personal obsession into an unforgettable quest for connection, celebration, and a place in the spotlight. Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted August 21 Author Members Posted August 21 👋 Good morning! Happy Hump Day. Have a night, El Niño: Fernando Tatis Jr. basically single-handedly won Tuesday's game for the Padres, hitting two home runs and robbing Francisco Lindor of a grand slam in a 5-2 victory over the Mets. In today's edition: Historic beatdown in Milwaukee, the NFL’s next frontier, AP preseason All-Americans, Nationals on pace for rare trifecta, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... ⚾️ A LITTLE LOPSIDED BREWERS 22, MARINERS 0 Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh looks on during the seventh inning. (John Fisher/Getty Images) The Brewers rolled to a 22-0 victory (!!!) over the Mariners on Tuesday in Milwaukee — the kind of blowout Major League Baseball hadn't seen in well over a century. Historic beatdown: The final score matched the largest shutout win since the start of the 1888 campaign, per MLB stat guru Sarah Langs, and is the largest at home in that span. Aug. 18, 2026: Brewers 22, Mariners 0 (in Milwaukee) Aug. 31, 2004: Indians 22, Yankees 0 (in New York) Sept. 6, 1975: Pirates 22, Cubs 0 (in Chicago) Way back when: The last time there was a larger shutout was on June 28, 1887, when the Philadelphia Quakers (now the Phillies) defeated the Indianapolis Hoosiers, 24-0. Here's that 1887 Quakers squad in all their glory. In the center is Hall of Fame manager Harry Wright, known as the "Father of Professional Baseball." (Mark Rucker/Transcendental Graphics, Getty Images) Playoff picture: The Brewers improved to an MLB-best 78-48 with the win, and remain 4.5 games ahead of the Cubs (74-53) atop the NL Central. The Mariners, meanwhile, fell to 59-67 and are now three back of a very crowded AL wild card race. 🏈 GOING GLOBAL THE NFL'S NEXT FRONTIER (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) One day, the NFL will have international teams. What does that mean for the league's American fans? Jay Busbee, Yahoo Sports: Imagine a Super Bowl Sunday in the not-too-distant future where you settle down to watch the Big Game. Before kickoff, there's a performance of "God Save The King" — this year's contest is in London's Wembley Stadium, after all, it's just polite — and then it's time for the Paris Berets to face the Madrid Matadors. As you get comfortable on the couch, maybe you spend a moment thinking about when the "N" in "NFL" stood for just one nation … and then it's game time. Now, before you freak out at the prospect of escargot and bangers n' mash elbowing chicken wings and pigs in a blanket off your Super Bowl spread, don't worry. The NFL isn't going full international anytime soon. But… like it or not, the NFL will expand its reach overseas in the future. Take it from a guy who knows: "At some point, there will be NFL teams outside the USA," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told Germany's RTL/ntv in the course of an interview with Markus Kuhn, a German-born former defensive tackle with the Giants. "I have no doubt that this will happen one day." (Julian Finney/Getty Images) How would that work? The logistics of posting NFL teams overseas are daunting but ultimately manageable. Games in Western Europe can kick off in the early afternoon local time to air in the 9am ET slot. For other nations, the NFL could adopt an F1 approach: gear games to the timeframe of the host nation, and the rest of the world, including the United States, can just set their alarms. Which brings us around to you, the loyal American NFL fan. While the league's expansion is wonderful news for newly-created fans in host countries and, of course, the NFL's bottom line, what does it mean for Americans who have followed their teams for generations? Well, there's the jingoistic "football's an American game, dammit" take, but let's be honest: when you're watching a game on TV, it doesn't matter if that game's in Munich or Miami. Yes, you might have to get up a little early to watch your favorite team when they go international, but — sadly — we all understand now that the NFL viewing experience in the 2020s requires a bit of homework, and probably a new subscription or two. The real question going forward will be just how much the NFL alters itself to appeal to the desires and customs of its coveted nations. We're not saying that VAR will become standard practice in NFL games, or that NFL players will start flopping like Premier League soccer players, but we're not not saying that either. And then there's the possibility of an overseas Super Bowl. That's where the logistics really start to bite; keeping the game at its traditional 6pm ET start is virtually impossible in an international destination. (That's late at night in Europe, early in the morning in Australia.) 🏈 FIRST TEAM AP PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy. (CFP/Getty Images) The 2026 preseason AP All-America teams were announced on Tuesday. Texas leads the way with four players on the first team, and the SEC has 14 of the 27 first-team selections. First team offense QB: Dante Moore (Oregon) RB: Kewan Lacy (Ole Miss); Ahmad Hardy (Missouri) WR: Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State); Malachi Toney (Miami); Cam Coleman (Texas) TE: Trey'Dez Green (LSU) OT: Carter Smith (Indiana); Trevor Goosby (Texas) OG: Evan Tengesdahl (Cincinnati); Shadre Hurst (Houston) 😄 Kade Pieper (Iowa) All-Purpose: Wayne Knight (UCLA) K: Tate Sandell (Oklahoma) First team defense Edge: Colin Simmons (Texas); Dylan Stewart (South Carolina) DT: A'Mauri Washington (Oregon); David Stone (Oklahoma) LB: Rasheem Biles (Texas); Xavier Atkins (Auburn); Rolijah Hardy (Indiana) CB: Leonard Moore (Notre Dame); Ellis Robinson IV (Georgia) S: KJ Bolden (Georgia); Koi Perich (Oregon) DB: Bray Hubbard (Alabama) P: Evan Crenshaw (Troy) Second team: Offense and defense ⚾️ EXCLUSIVE CLUB NATS ON PACE FOR RARE TRIFECTA (Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images) One of the rarest achievements for any baseball team is to lead the majors in runs, home runs and stolen bases in the same season — a feat accomplished by just four legendary teams over the past century… and perhaps soon a fifth that is unlikely to even make the playoffs. One of these is not like the others: With six weeks left in the regular season, the fourth-place Nationals lead MLB in runs scored (670), home runs (180) and stolen bases (135), as legendary sportswriter Thomas Boswell brought to our attention last week. But compare these Nats — with their middling 60-67 record and meager +13 run differential — to the quartet that came before them. 1931 Yankees: This Babe Ruth- and Lou Gehrig-led squad went 94-59 with an AL-record 1,067 runs scored and a +307 differential, the seventh-best mark since 1920. 1952, 1953 & 1955 Dodgers: These three iterations of the "Boys of Summer" Dodgers — led by the likes of Jackie Robinson, Gil Hodges and Duke Snider — all reached the World Series, and in 1955 brought home the first title in franchise history. Big picture: The story of Washington's season has been its pitching staff's inability to keep up with its fearsome lineup led by superstars James Wood and CJ Abrams. Even a moderate improvement to its woeful bullpen (32 blown saves) and bottom-five rotation (4.67 ERA) would put this team more in line with the famous outfits listed above; instead, the 2026 Nationals seem destined to to elicit a "huh?" anytime this stat is mentioned in the future. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: WEDNESDAY, AUG. 19 Olivia Miles drives to the basket the last time the Lynx and Valkyries played, back in June. (Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images) 🏀 Lynx at Valkyries The WNBA's top two teams square off tonight (10pm ET, USA) in San Francisco, where Minnesota (29-7) will try to win its fifth straight game and Golden State (25-9) will try to win its seventh straight. Back like she never left: Lynx superstar Napheesa Collier — the MVP runner-up in each of the last two seasons — has shown no signs of rust in her return from offseason surgery on both ankles, averaging 19.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists in nine games while shooting a career-best 50% from long range. ⚾️ Little League World Series The 79th edition of the LLWS begins today in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, where 10 U.S. teams and 10 international teams will compete for glory over the next two weeks. As a reminder, the brackets are separate until the very end, when the U.S. and international champions will face off in the LLWS Championship. Today's schedule: Leon, Nicaragua vs. Santiago, Dominican Republic (1pm, ESPN); Phenix City, Alabama vs. Tacoma, Washington (3pm, ESPN); Vancouver, Canada at Seoul, South Korea (5pm, ESPN); Bayonne, New Jersey at Bridgewater, Massachusetts (7pm, ESPN). More to watch: ⚾️ MLB: Yankees at Orioles (6:35pm, Prime) … New York (70-55) holds the first wild card, while Baltimore (61-65) is among the horde of teams fighting for the third. 🎾 Cincinnati Open: Round of 16 (11am, Tennis) … Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka and more are in action. ⚽️ MLS: Vancouver vs. Houston (10:30pm, Apple) … First vs. second in the West. ⛳️ LET'S PLAY TRIVIA TIME Scheffler holds up his trophy from last weekend's FedEx St. Jude Championship. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images) Since 1983, which basically signals the start of the modern PGA Tour, only five golfers have won more Tour events than Scottie Scheffler's 21. Question: Can you name them? Hint: Only one played regularly on the PGA Tour this year. Answer at the bottom. 🍿 SPORTS SHORTS WATCH: "MUREWA" Yahoo Media Group and The Nonfiction Hotlist invited filmmakers worldwide to submit documentary shorts for recognition and distribution. Nearly 1,000 filmmakers answered the call — and now, the results are in! Five films were selected in the Sports category, and we'll be sharing one each day this week ahead of our inaugural Film Festival this weekend. Title: Murewa Director: Ché Scott-Heron Newton Runtime: 14 minutes About the film: Murewa follows childhood friends Marlon and Murry as they grow up together in the seaside town of Worthing, with a shared passion for skateboarding and photography, before their lives take dramatically different paths. Trivia answer: Tiger Woods (82 wins), Phil Mickelson (45), Vijay Singh (34), Rory McIlroy (30), Dustin Johnson (24) Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted August 22 Author Members Posted August 22 > Amazon seemingly leaks Jason Statham's upcoming action thriller "Mutiny" on Prime Video ahead of its official theatrical release tomorrow (More) | Watch the film trailer (More) > Nicaragua defeats Dominican Republic in opening game of the Little League World Series, which runs through Aug. 30 > WNBA star Nneka Ogwumike to retire after this season, her 15th in the league (More) | Former Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios is provisionally suspended from tennis after testing positive for cocaine (More) Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted August 23 Author Members Posted August 23 👋 Good morning! The NFL season is less than three weeks away. Now streaming: "Novak Djokovic: The Wolf in Winter" premieres today on Prime Video. I got an early look, and thought it was one of the best docs I've seen this year. In today's edition: MLB awards races, World Team Tennis unveils new teams (exclusive), Big Numbers, "Succession" in Laker Land, PGA Tour playoffs resume, Week 2 of NFL preseason, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... ⚾️ BEST OF THE BEST MLB AWARDS RACES: TOP CONTENDERS (Joseph Raines/Yahoo Sports) The National League MVP race leveled up earlier this week, with both Shohei Ohtani and Pete Crow-Armstrong blasting three homers in a two-day stretch. But that isn't the only major award race with razor-thin margins heading into the homestretch. NL MVP: Crow-Armstrong (-160 to win) and Ohtani (+130) are the two most complete players in baseball. With both putting up similar offensive stats — and both leading World Series contenders — this award could hinge on whether voters value PCA's defense or Ohtani's pitching more highly. PCA: The Cubs CF is batting .279/.378/.550 for a .928 OPS that ranks second in the NL, and his 31 HR, 79 RBI and 90 R are all near the top, too. His biggest differentiators against Ohtani are on the base paths, with 31 steals (2nd in the NL), and in the outfield, with an NL-best 23 outs above average. His 7.8 WAR leads baseball. Ohtani: The Dodgers DH/SP is batting .291/.388/.554 for a .942 OPS that leads the NL, while his 30 HR, 80 RBI and 82 R are roughly in line with PCA's marks. As a pitcher, he's 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA and 0.95 WHIP in 14 starts, though a knee injury has kept him off the mound since July 3. Add it up, and his 6.8 WAR ranks third in baseball. AL Cy Young: Yankees ace Cam Schlittler is the slight favorite (-165) over Blue Jays newcomer Dylan Cease (+130) in the other major award race that's still very much up for grabs. Schlittler: The second-year sensation is 10-6 with an AL-best 2.19 ERA for the wild card-leading Yankees, while his 0.94 WHIP ranks first and his 152.0 IP ranks second. He's struck out 189 batters (third-most) against just 34 walks, and his 5.2 WAR leads AL pitchers. Cease: Toronto's season has been disappointing, but don't blame this guy. Cease is 7-5 with a 2.42 ERA that trails only Schlittler in the AL and a 1.06 WHIP that ranks sixth. He has a league-leading 201 strikeouts against 59 walks, and his 5.0 WAR trails only Schlittler among AL pitchers. The other two "races": With all due respect to the contenders having superb seasons in their own right, the AL MVP and NL Cy Young races are all but locked up. AL MVP: Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez (-1600) leads the AL in all three Triple Crown categories (.317 AVG, 36 HR, 88 RBI) and has an MLB-best 1.040 OPS. His closest competition is Rays 3B Junior Caminero (+850), who has 35 HR and an .899 OPS. NL Cy Young: Brewers flamethrower Jacob Misiorowski (-1000) has been extraordinary, leading all of baseball in ERA (1.75), WHIP (0.75) and strikeouts (210). In any other year, Atlanta's Chris Sale (+1000) and Philadelphia's Cristopher Sánchez (+1200) would be more than worthy winners. Plus… The ROY races in both leagues are excellent. Detroit SS Kevin McGonigle (-500) is second in the AL with 5.7 WAR, while White Sox 1B Munetaka Murakami (+425) has 29 HR and a .904 OPS; Cardinals SS JJ Wetherholt (-150) has 4.8 WAR thanks mostly to his slick glove, while Reds 1B Sal Stewart (+190) has 27 HR and an MLB-leading 94 RBI. 🎾 WORLD TEAM TENNIS FIRST LOOK: WTT REVEALS NEW TEAMS (World Team Tennis) World Team Tennis, the pioneering mixed-gender league relaunching this December, will unveil official clubs today — and Yahoo Sports AM has the exclusive first look. A new era: As part of its reimagined future, WTT is introducing three new team identities, each with a distinct crest and logo inspired by its city. The league, originally co-founded by Billie Jean King in 1974, is also revealing one elite player with local ties who will represent each club. The teams: 🦩 Florida Flamingos: Revives one of the most recognizable identities from the WTT's early years, while reimagining the flamingo motif in a vibrant palette of pink and burgundy. 🗽 New York Empire: Builds on the franchise that won the 2020 WTT championship with an imperial "NY" monogram and geometric crown that evokes the city skyline. 🇨🇦 Toronto North: A six-antlered moose (for Toronto's six districts) boldly announces WTT's return to the region for the first time since the Toronto-Buffalo Royals competed in '74. The stars: Jessica Pegula (New York) was born in Buffalo and her family owns the Bills and Sabres; Tommy Paul (Florida) has resided in Boca Raton since he was a teenager; Denis Shapovalov (Toronto) grew up just outside the city. Pegula rocking her Empire gear. (World Team Tennis) What they're saying: "Our view is that tennis' popularity starts with the best players in the world, but has always extended well beyond the court into lifestyle and culture," said WTT CEO Stephen Amritraj. "That's why we prioritized creative direction for our teams, developing unique identities that fans and players will connect with and want to be a part of." Looking ahead: Opening night is set for Dec. 2, 2026, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, before the league shifts to a home and away competition calendar. 💯 STAT SHEET BIG NUMBERS Injury aside, Love was electric in his preseason debut. (Ian Maule/Getty Images) 🏈 14 touches Running back Jeremiyah Love, the Cardinals' No. 3 pick and arguably their most exciting player for the upcoming season, sprained his ankle after getting 14 touches in his preseason debut last week — an uncommonly high number for a player as valuable as he could be. Bold move, Mike: Love's 14 touches were by far the most in a preseason game by a first-round rookie RB in the past 10 seasons. Why give him so many? "I mean, it's a rookie that hadn't played," first-year head coach Mike LaFleur said, adding that he essentially decided to give him such a big workload just to see how he could handle it. ⚾️ .066 There have been 45,719 player-seasons in MLB history where a player got at least 85 plate appearances, and Braves SS Ha-Seong Kim's batting average (.066) and slugging percentage (.066) are both ranked dead last. Quite the fall from a guy who got MVP votes three years ago. Speaking of bad seasons: The Dodgers gave four-time All-Star Kyle Tucker $240 million last offseason, and he's returned the favor by hitting .232 with a .694 OPS and 0.0 WAR (yes, 0 WAR). And it's not just his bat: His -9 outs above average ranks last among the 199 players who've played at least one inning in right field this season. Ogwumike before a game earlier this month. (Soobum Im/Getty Images) 🏀 7,879 points Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike announced Wednesday that she will be retiring at the end of this season, concluding one of the greatest careers in WNBA history. The 2016 league MVP ranks fourth all-time in points (7,879), third in rebounds (3,565), fifth in steals (707) and second in All-Star selections (11). Off-court impact: As good as she was on the court, Ogwumike's impact off it as the president of the players' union is where her biggest legacy will lie. She's served in that role since 2016, guiding the union through two CBA negotiations including the transformational one this past offseason that increased the salary cap more than four-fold. ⚽️ $15 million Zavier Gozo, the 19-year-old winger who was in the mix for the U.S. World Cup squad earlier this summer, has been sold from Real Salt Lake to Crystal Palace for $15 million — the largest transfer fee ever for the MLS side, and the 12th-largest outbound transfer in league history. Americans abroad: Gozo joins USMNT standout Chris Richards at Crystal Palace, as well as Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Tyler Adams (Bournemouth), Brenden Aaronsen (Leeds) and Haji Wright (Coventry City) among the growing list of Americans playing in the Premier League, which kicks off this weekend. 📚 GO DEEPER GOOD READS (Bruno Rouby/Yahoo Sports) 🏀 Dylan Dittrich: Succession: The Buss family's Laker dynasty Kendall, Roman, and Shiv spent years captivating HBO viewers. But nobody does Hollywood quite like the Lakers, and the Buss family appears set to pen a new and potentially final season of the most gripping family succession drama in sports business. (Hassan Ahmad/Yahoo Sports) 🥊 Elliot Worsell: What makes a great chin? The strange science behind boxing's most mysterious question You can train to punch harder, move faster and fight smarter. But can you really train yourself to take a punch? For a fighter it's the touchiest of subjects, one's chin. Durability, after all, is rightly considered a prerequisite of a fighter's trade. To be seen to be lacking it therefore makes them feel like half a fighter, if not half a man. (Joseph Raines/Yahoo Sports) ⚾️ Jake Mintz: Looking at the strength of schedule and remaining opponents for each wild-card contender Strength of schedule, in MLB, is generally less relevant than it is in the NFL or in college sports. With the new balanced calendar, every club plays every other club at least once. Plus, teams play their division rivals for four series per year instead of six, which evens things out over the long haul. But at this point in the year, SOS emerges as a crucial character in our baseball lives. (Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports) 🏈 Nick Bromberg: College football coaches under the most pressure entering the season After over 30 coaching changes took place following the 2025 season, it's unlikely that 2026 will yield a similar number of moves. But that doesn't lessen the pressure that some coaches are facing as the season approaches. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: THURSDAY, AUG. 20 All eyes on Scottie during Tuesday's practice round. (James Gilbert/PGA Tour via Getty Images) ⛳️ BMW Championship, First Round The second leg of the FedExCup Playoffs tees off today (10am ET, ESPN; 3pm, Golf) at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, where 50 golfers are competing for a $20 million purse and one of 30 spots in next week's Tour Championship. On the bubble: Some of the biggest names who still need to play their way into the field at East Lake are Ben Griffin (38th place), Sungjae Im (40), Patrick Cantlay (43) and Justin Thomas (44). 🏈 NFL Preseason, Week 2 The NFL preseason resumes this evening, with the Texans hosting the Raiders in Houston (8pm, ESPN) and the Chargers hosting the 49ers in Los Angeles (10pm, NFL). Injury watch: The Niners' laundry list of ailments, which is becoming a perennial issue in the Bay Area, is one of the many injury-related storylines across the league as the regular season approaches. More to watch: 🎾 Cincinnati Open: No. 3 Jessica Pegula vs. No. 9 Amanda Anisimova (1pm, Tennis); No. 7 Flavio Cobolli vs. No. 18 Tommy Paul (3pm); No. 2 Elena Rybakina vs. No. 7 Iga Świątek (7pm); No. 21 Arthur Fils vs. Thiago Tirante (8:30pm) … Quarterfinals. 🏀 WNBA: Fever at Wings (8pm, Prime); Dream at Sparks (10pm, Prime) … Caitlin Clark is averaging 25.4 points and 9.4 assists during Indiana's (24-12) five-game winning streak. ⛳️ LIV: Indianapolis (1pm, Fox Sports) … The Club at Chatham Hills hosts the season finale for the embattled league, whose future remains uncertain. Plus: ⚾️ LLWS, Day 2 (12-6pm, ESPN/ESPN2); ⛳️ LPGA's Canadian Women's Open (6pm, Golf); ⚾️ Nationals at Rangers (8:05pm, FS1) ⚽️ LET'S PLAY TRIVIA TIME (Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports) The English Premier League will begin its 35th season this weekend, with all 20 teams taking the pitch between Friday and Monday. Question: Can you name the seven clubs that have won Premier League titles since its founding in 1992? Hint: Five have won multiple titles. Answer at the bottom. 🍿 SPORTS SHORTS WATCH: "PANTHER PAT" Yahoo Media Group and The Nonfiction Hotlist invited filmmakers worldwide to submit documentary shorts for recognition and distribution. Nearly 1,000 filmmakers answered the call — and now, the results are in! Five films were selected in the Sports category, and we'll be sharing one each day this week ahead of our inaugural Film Festival this weekend. Title: Panther Pat Director: Ashley Brandon Runtime: 12 minutes About the film: In 1970, Patricia Palinkas became the first woman to play professional football when she joined the Orlando Panthers. Panther Pat revisits her groundbreaking journey, exploring how one determined schoolteacher challenged the gender barriers of America's game and left a lasting mark on sports history. 🏈 NEW FEATURES 29 DAYS OF FANTASY "Guillotine Leagues" have been rebranded as "Death Leagues." It's Yahoo Fantasy Football's 29th year. To celebrate, we're dropping a brand-new fantasy feature every day for 29 days straight. That's 29 days, 29 features, all built to help you dominate your league. What's new: We've announced six new features since our last update on Friday morning. Death Leagues: A rebranded version of the unique format in which each week's last-place finisher is eliminated, and their players are released to the waiver wire. New Draft tab: Everything you need to prepare for your draft, including commissioner reminders, quick access to league settings and personalized draft prep, all in one place. More customization: All features previously included with Commissioner Plus are now available to everyone, providing more customization at no additional cost. New tools on the app: Record Book, pre-draft rankings and draft ordering are all now available on mobile as well as web. The Flock League: Starting this season, Yahoo Fantasy will be the official platform for The Flock League, stacked with some of the most well-known fantasy creators on YouTube. Sirius XM: We're teaming up with Sirius XM to seamlessly allow users to listen to live game streams on game pages across the Yahoo Sports app and website. Day 11: The next feature will be announced today at 9am ET. Trivia answer: Manchester United (13x), Manchester City (8x), Chelsea (5x), Arsenal (4x), Liverpool (2x), Blackburn Rovers (1995), Leicester City (2016) Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted August 23 Author Members Posted August 23 🎉 Yahoo! It's Friday! You made it. What are the chances? Brewers prospect Sawyer Strosnider's memorable first professional home run with the High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers got even better when he saw whocaught it: his dad, Scott. In today's edition: Premier League kickoff, Behind the Lens, Harden joins the $500M club, baseball comic books, hook 'em Horns, Guess the Logo, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports... 🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🎾 Alcaraz is back: Carlos Alcaraz, who's missed the past four months with a wrist injury, announced that he will return for next week's U.S. Open, though the defending champion hasn't confirmed if he will participate in the singles draw. Also unconfirmed? World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, whose knee injury has kept him off the court since winning Wimbledon. 🏀 Cavs making moves: The Cavaliers gave James Harden a three-year, $97 million extension, making the 11-time All-Star just the fourth player to eclipse $500 million in career earnings (LeBron, KD, Steph). Cleveland also acquired Peyton Watson from the Nuggets in a five-team deal, and then gave the young wing a four-year, $88 million contract. ⚾️ History in Williamsport: Phenix City's Kinley Rasmus struck out eight batters on Wednesday, tying Mo'Ne Davis for the most by a girl in a LLWS game. Rasmus, one of just 25 girls ever to appear in the LLWS, is the daughter of former MLB pitcher Cory Rasmus and the niece of former MLB outfielder Colby Rasmus. 🏎️ Verstappen inks new deal: Red Bull signed Max Verstappen to an extension through 2030, ending any rumors that the four-time F1 champion might sign with another team. The 28-year-old Dutchman currently sits in sixth place and still seeks his first win of the season. ⚾️ Seattle calls up top prospect: The Mariners are calling up LHP Kade Anderson, MLB's top pitching prospect, to start tomorrow's game against the Cubs. Seattle took the southpaw No. 3 overall in 2025, three weeks after he led LSU to the CWS title as the tournament's MOP. 📺 VIEWING GUIDE WEEKEND WATCHLIST (Carl Recine/Getty Images) We're still a few weeks away from peak football season, but that isn't stopping this weekend from being packed with wall-to-wall action the next three days. Enjoy! ⚽️ English Premier League The Premier League's 35th season kicks off this weekend, starting with today's match (3pm ET, USA) at Emirates Stadium between defending champion Arsenal and newly-promoted side Coventry City. Best of the rest: Manchester City vs. Bournemouth (Sun. 9am, USA) and Newcastle United vs. Liverpool (Sun. 11:30am, USA). Coaching carousel: A record nine teams begin this season with a new manager, including mega clubs like Manchester City (Enzo Maresca), Liverpool (Andoni Iraola) and Chelsea (Xabi Alonso). ⚾️ MLB Little League Classic The Braves and Brewers meet in the ninth annual Little League Classic on Sunday night (7pm, ESPN) at Historic Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. This year's event will pay homage to Hank Aaron, who spent his legendary career playing in Milwaukee and Atlanta. Sunday Funday: First, the big leaguers will watch the Little League Word Series alongside the kids (and partake in the traditional slide down the hill). Then, they'll take the field in front of a crowd of mostly LLWS players, coaches and families. ⛳️ BMW Championship Play continues in St. Louis (Fri-Sun, ESPN/Golf/CBS) as the field of 50 fights to book a spot in next week's 30-man Tour Championship. Leaderboard: Five golfers, including Rory McIlroy, are tied for the lead at 6-under after Thursday's opening round. Scottie Scheffler surprisingly sits eight strokes back at 2-over, tied for the second-worst score of the day. 🎾 Cincinnati Open, Finals The Masters 1000 event concludes on Sunday (2pm, Tennis), and there's a decent chance we'll see a pair of American winners considering they make up half of the remaining field. The contenders: No. 6 Taylor Fritz, No. 27 Brandon Nakashima and No. 17 Frances Tiafoe will attempt to become the first American man to win this tournament since Andy Roddick in 2006. No. 3 Jessica Pegula, No. 4 Coco Gauff and No. 20 Madison Keys are the Americans still contending for the women's title. 🏁 Freedom 250 Grand Prix IndyCar makes its first-ever stop in our nation's capital on Sunday morning (11:30am, Fox), hitting the streets of Washington, D.C. and the National Mall to celebrate America's 250th birthday. More racing: F1 returns from its month-long break at the Dutch Grand Prix (Sun. 9am, Apple), while the NASCAR Cup Series heads to New Hampshire (Sun. 3pm, USA). More to watch: 🏈 NFL Preseason: Week 2 (Fri-Sun) … Packers at Broncos (Fri. 9pm, NFL), Eagles at Patriots (Sat. 7pm, NFL) and Seahawks at Titans (Sun. 8pm, Fox) headline the 14-game slate. 🚴 Vuelta a España: Stages 1-2 (Sat-Sun, Peacock) … Tadej Pogačar seeks to become the ninth man to win all three grand tours as the 21-stage race begins in Monaco. 🏀 WNBA: Lynx at Mystics (Fri. 7:30pm, ION); Fever at Liberty (Sat. 7pm, Prime); Storm at Wings (Sun. 4pm, NBA); Fever at Sky (Sun. 7pm, NBC) ⚽️ MLS: St. Louis vs. Houston (Sat. 8:30pm, Apple) … Houston have won five straight to climb into first place in the West; St. Louis are unbeaten in 10 straight to climb into sixth. ⚽️ NWSL: San Diego vs. Utah (Fri. 10pm, Prime); Portland vs. Denver (Sat. 8:45pm, ION); Chicago vs. Louisville (Sun. 2pm, CBSSN); Washington vs. Orlando (Sun. 4pm, ESPN2) Plus: ⛳️ LIV Indianapolis (Fri-Sun, Fox Sports); ⛳️ Canadian Women's Open (Fri-Sun, Golf); 🏀 BIG3 Championship (Sat. 1pm, CBS); ⚾️ WPBL (Fri-Sun, ESPN+) 📸 PHOTOGRAPHY BEHIND THE LENS (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) We're bringing back one of our favorite sections! Each week, we'll be going "Behind the Lens" with Getty Images to get the backstory on the best photographs in sports. This week's photo: Australia's Edward Sommerville competes in the Men's 200m freestyle heats at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, when an unfortunate equipment malfunction made for a unique snapshot. Photographer: Maddie Meyer Location: Irvine, California Date: August 12 📸 Behind the lens: Here's Maddie… Many swim photos can feel repetitive, so I do my best to look for details that stand out to make an image more interesting. I'll look for goggle or swim cap colors, or bright sunscreen or nail colors. There were a lot of athletes I needed to photograph in this heat, but at a glance I thought something looked "off" about Sommerville. I tracked his face through my camera and noticed his goggles had slid down his face. If this happens during a race there's nothing the athlete can do to adjust it without stopping completely. I made sure to photograph him with the longest lens I had, a 400mm, to really put the focus on his facial expression. Equipment and technique: Maddie used a Canon R1 f/2.8 with a setting of ISO 125 and a shutter speed of 1/2700, as well as the aforementioned 400mm lens. ⚾️ COMIC BOOKS BASEBALL STARS, ASSEMBLE! (All Baseball Comics) This fall, a gathering of heroes will band together in a desperate battle against a relentless, approaching evil that threatens to lay waste to all we hold dear. No, we're not talking about "Avengers: Doomsday." We're talking about a true threat … the battle to keep the Los Angeles Dodgers from winning another World Series. Jay Busbee, Yahoo Sports: The dramatic highs and lows of every baseball postseason can feel like a comic book movie, so what better time than October to catch up on your baseball history via comic books? Enter: All Baseball Comics, an MLB-licensed collection of three comic books telling the story of three iconic squads: the New York Yankees, the Chicago Cubs and those aforementioned Dodgers. Baseball, as everyone from Ken Burns to Bob Costas to Kevin Costner reminds us, is the story of America, and these three comic books will tell the stories of their three franchises against the broader landscape of American history. The Yankees, Avengers-level icons, have maintained excellence throughout their century-plus existence. The Cubs, beloved losers in the X-Men mold, define fan loyalty. And the Dodgers, a collection of Justice League-style legends, have pushed the edges of the sport for decades. Like baseball itself, comic books in their current form are a thoroughly American invention. While the most popular American comic books focus on superhero exploits, there's a small but significant niche of nonfiction comics telling the stories of everything from the Civil Rights Movement to rock 'n' roll. All Baseball Comics fits squarely into this tradition, combining story and image for a unique take on American legends. Get your comics: Each issue is available for pre-order at baseballcomics.com for $19.99 apiece. For the collectors, there are also signed variant covers available. 🤘 HOOK 'EM THE LONGHORNS' LONG DIGITAL REACH Which NCAA schools have the biggest digital reach? Thanks to Zoomph's College Athletics Rankings Dashboard, released this week, now we know. By the numbers: Texas has by far the most valuable athletic department on social media, generating $9.6 million more social value, 229 million more impressions, and almost 9 million more engagements than second-ranked Ohio State. It just means more: SEC schools account for seven of the top 10 and 13 of the top 30. The Big Ten placed 10 teams in the top 30, but seven of them were ranked between 20th and 30th. Impact from women's sports: A women's sport was among the top three sports at eight of the top 10 schools. Softball was in the top three at four of those schools, while women's volleyball was the top driver of social media value at Nebraska, the only school where football didn't hold that distinction. 🔎 LET'S PLAY GUESS THE LOGO Question: Can you guess this zoomed in Premier League logo? Hint: One of six Premier League clubs based in London. Answer at the bottom. 🍿 SPORTS SHORTS WATCH: "THE MELONEERS" Yahoo Media Group and The Nonfiction Hotlist invited filmmakers worldwide to submit documentary shorts for recognition and distribution. Nearly 1,000 filmmakers answered the call — and now, the results are in! Five films were selected in the Sports category, and we'll be sharing one each day this week ahead of our inaugural Film Festival this weekend. Title: The Meloneers Director: Brendan Young Runtime: 22 minutes About the film: The Meloneers is a coming of age story, examining the intersection of wrestling and fatherhood as a high school coach in the small town of Rocky Ford, Colorado, uses the sport to help the community's youth better understand their lives. 🏎️ START YOUR ENGINES YAHOO SPORTS x APPLE TV (Apple) This weekend's Formula 1 Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2026 continues our season-long partnership with Apple TV for F1 coverage. Tune in: Today's sprint qualifying (10:30am ET) and tomorrow's race qualifying (10am) will air for free on Yahoo Sports, while tomorrow's sprint (6am) and Sunday's race (9am) will stream on Apple TV, the new U.S. home of Formula 1. Logo reveal: Chelsea Football Club Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted August 23 Author Members Posted August 23 🏀 NBA merry-go-round keeps on spinning Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios Marc Lore has agreed to sell his controlling stake in the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves and the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx to billionaire investor Marc Stad at a $4.5 billion enterprise value, Axios' Dan Primack reports. That comes just a week after Mark Walter agreed to sell the Los Angeles Lakers to Joshua Kushner and Bob Iger for $12.5 billion. 🐺 Lore — a serial entrepreneur and former Walmart exec — gained control of the Timberwolves last summer, after a protracted legal process. Lore's partner on the deal, ex-MLB player Alex Rodriguez, will remain a part of club ownership. 📆 Behind the scenes: The deal has been in process for several months, per a source familiar — which means it wasn't a reaction to the Lakers sale. Go deeper. Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
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