“THE SCOREBOARD”
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SCORES
CLEVELAND 3 PHILADELPHIA 1 (10)
MINNESOTA 9 DETROIT 3 (10)
CINCINNATI 3 TAMPA BAY 2 (10)
SAN DIEGO 6 BALTIMORE 4
TORONTO 6 TEXAS 5
BOSTON 9 NY YANKEES 7
NY METS 8 ATLANTA 4
MIAMI 6 MILWAUKEE 2
SEATTLE 10 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 0
HOUSTON 5 LA DODGERS 0 (7)
KANSAS CITY 6 CHICAGO CUBS 0
WASHINGTON 10 ST. LOUIS 8 (10)
OAKLAND 5 LA ANGELS 4
ARIZONA 4 PITTSBURGH 3
SAN FRANCISCO 11 COLORADO 4
MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SCORES
INDIANAPOLIS 7 IOWA 3
SOUTH BEND 8 PEORIA 4
FT. WAYNE 3 DAYTON 0
WNBA SCORES
OLYMPIC BREAK
MLS
OLYMPIC BREAK
NFL WEEK ONE SCHEDULE
THURSDAY, SEPT. 5
- BALTIMORE RAVENS AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS, 8:20 P.M. ET (NBC)
FRIDAY, SEPT. 6
- GREEN BAY PACKERS VS. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (IN SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL), 8:15 P.M. ET (PEACOCK)
SUNDAY, SEPT. 8
- PITTSBURGH STEELERS AT ATLANTA FALCONS, 1 P.M. ET (FOX)
- ARIZONA CARDINALS AT BUFFALO BILLS, 1 P.M. ET (CBS)
- TENNESSEE TITANS AT CHICAGO BEARS, 1 P.M. ET (FOX)
- NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS AT CINCINNATI BENGALS, 1 P.M. ET (CBS)
- HOUSTON TEXANS AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS, 1 P.M. ET (CBS)
- JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS AT MIAMI DOLPHINS, 1 P.M. ET (CBS)
- CAROLINA PANTHERS AT NEW ORLEANS SAINTS, 1 P.M. ET (FOX)
- MINNESOTA VIKINGS AT NEW YORK GIANTS, 1 P.M. ET (FOX)
- LAS VEGAS RAIDERS AT LOS ANGELES CHARGERS, 4:05 P.M. ET (CBS)
- DENVER BRONCOS AT SEATTLE SEAHAWKS, 4:05 P.M. ET (CBS)
- DALLAS COWBOYS AT CLEVELAND BROWNS, 4:25 P.M. ET (CBS)
- WASHINGTON COMMANDERS AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS, 4:25 P.M. ET (FOX)
- LOS ANGELES RAMS AT DETROIT LIONS, 8:20 P.M. ET (NBC)
MONDAY, SEPT. 9
- NEW YORK JETS AT SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS, 8:15 P.M. ET (ESPN/ABC)
TOP NATIONAL SPORTS HEADLINES
NBA NEWS
WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY SUES NBA FOR NOT ACCEPTING ITS MATCHING OFFER
Warner Bros. Discovery has sued the NBA after the league did not accept the company’s matching offer for one of the packages in its upcoming 11-year media rights deal.
The lawsuit was filed on Friday in New York state court in Manhattan.
WBD, the parent company of TNT Sports, is seeking a judgement that it matched Amazon Prime Video’s offer and an order seeking to delay the new media rights deal from taking effect beginning with the 2025-26 season.
The NBA signed its deals with Disney, NBCUniversal and Amazon Prime Video on Wednesday after saying it was not accepting Warner Bros. Discovery’s $1.8 billion per year offer. The deals will bring the league around $76 billion over 11 years.
“Given the NBA’s unjustified rejection of our matching of a third-party offer, we have taken legal action to enforce our rights,” TNT Sports said in a statement. “We strongly believe this is not just our contractual right, but also in the best interest of fans who want to keep watching our industry-leading NBA content with the choice and flexibility we offer them through our widely distributed WBD video-first distribution platforms – including TNT and Max.”
NBA spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement that “Warner Bros. Discovery’s claims are without merit and our lawyers will address them.”
WBD says in the lawsuit that “TBS properly matched the Amazon Offer by agreeing to telecast the games on both TNT and Max. The Amazon Offer provides for Cable Rights, including TNT Rights, because the offer is for games that TBS currently has the right to distribute on TNT via Non-Broadcast Television, which includes both cable and Internet distribution.”
WBD also claims under its contract it “has the right to ‘Match a Third Party Offer that provides for the exercise of (NBA games) via any form of combined audio and video distribution.’”
The lawsuit is another chapter in a deteriorating relationship between the league and Turner Sports that has gone on nearly 40 years. Turner has had an NBA package since 1984 and games have been on TNT since the network launched in 1988.
TNT’s iconic “Inside the NBA” show has won numerous Sports Emmy Awards and has been a model for studio shows.
However, the relationship started to become strained when Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said during an RBC Investor Conference in November 2022 that Turner and WBD “don’t have to have the NBA.”
Warner Bros. Discovery and the league were unable to reach a deal during the exclusive negotiating period, which expired in April. Zaslav and TNT Sports Chairman/CEO Luis Silberwasser said throughout the process, though, that it intended to match one of the deals.
WBD had five days to match a part of those deals after the NBA’s Board of Governors approved the rights deals on July 17.
WBD received all of the contracts the next day and informed the league on Monday that it was matching Amazon Prime Videos offer.
The NBA announced on Wednesday that it was not considered a true match.
“Throughout these negotiations, our primary objective has been to maximize the reach and accessibility of our games for our fans,” the league said when it did not accept the WBD deal. “Our new arrangement with Amazon supports this goal by complementing the broadcast, cable and streaming packages that are already part of our new Disney and NBCUniversal arrangements. All three partners have also committed substantial resources to promote the league and enhance the fan experience.”
REPORT: NUGGETS SIGN WESTBROOK TO 2-YEAR, $6.8M DEAL
The Denver Nuggets and veteran guard Russell Westbrook agreed to a two-year, $6.8-million contract, sources told The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Westbrook’s deal includes a player option for the 2025-26 campaign, adds Charania.
The Los Angeles Clippers dealt the former MVP to the Utah Jazz last week in a sign-and-trade for Kris Dunn.
Westbrook was subsequently bought out by Utah, paving the way for him to join Denver.
The nine-time All-Star spent parts of the last two campaigns with the Clippers, averaging 12.2 points, 5.2 assists, five boards, and 1.1 steals over 89 appearances. He finished seventh in Sixth Man of the Year voting last season.
The Nuggets were in need of a backup point guard and bench scoring following the departure of Reggie Jackson.
Denver’s reserves ranked 25th in scoring during the 2023-24 regular season and second last in the playoffs.
TEAM USA’S KEVIN DURANT DOWNPLAYS JOEL EMBIID COMMENTS ON LEBRON JAMES
Team USA teammates Joel Embiid and LeBron James are two of the certain three starters in Paris, but head coach Steve Kerr might need to play another role — mediator — after Embiid critiqued the team’s elder statesman for diminishing skills.
Embiid told New York Times Magazine that LeBron today “is not the LeBron that was a couple of years ago. So it’s a big difference. Everybody would also tell you, and you can see for yourself, the athletic LeBron, dominant that he was a couple of years ago, is not the same that he is now. I think people get fooled by the names on paper. But those names have been built throughout their career, and now they’re older. They’re not what they used to be.”
Embiid shared the comments for a podcast giving his thoughts on the United States winning the gold medal in Paris.
James, 39, scored clutch baskets in back-to-back exhibition wins over South Sudan and Germany leading into the Paris Games.
He’s a surefire starter for Team USA, Kerr said, along with Embiid and Steph Curry. Kerr has shuffled his lineup at other positions after opening with Devin Booker and Kevin Durant when camp started in Las Vegas earlier this month.
“We’ve been looking at other guys around them and we obviously do have great options, but I like those three guys together,” Kerr said.
Curry, 36, and Durant, 35, are in the same elite peer class with James and Embiid as former NBA MVPs.
Durant said before a regular-season game in February that he could see James playing at his current level “five more years,” which would be age 44. So he didn’t take Embiid’s opinion to heart.
“We’re all different as we get older,” Durant said. “But the thing about greatness is that you adjust and find ways to continue to be effective. And that’s what LeBron has done at that age.”
Embiid, 30, missed 29 games in the regular season due to knee surgery. He has appeared sluggish at times in the exhibition schedule with Team USA but looked more like his former MVP self against Germany.
“We’ve got one goal, and that’s to win the gold, and we’re coming together with that mindset,” Embiid said. “We are not here to compete against each other. We just here to make each other better so we are on the same page so we can go out and do our best to win the gold.”
COLLEGE FOOTBALL NEWS
GEORGIA WIDE RECEIVER RARA THOMAS ARRESTED ON CRUELTY TO CHILDREN, BATTERY CHARGES
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Georgia wide receiver Rodarius “Rara” Thomas was arrested on charges of cruelty to children and battery early Friday, adding to the team’s recent legal woes.
Athens-Clarke County jail records show Thomas was booked at 3:20 a.m. on felony charges of cruelty to children and misdemeanor battery charges. Bail had not been set as of late Friday morning.
It is the second arrest for Thomas in two years. Thomas, a transfer from Mississippi State, was arrested by University of Georgia police on Jan. 23, 2023, on a felony charge of false imprisonment and a misdemeanor count of family violence battery. The charges were dropped.
Details on Friday’s arrest, which also are family violence offenses, were not immediately available. It was not known if Thomas had obtained legal representation.
Georgia executive associate athletic director for strategic communications Steven Drummond said in a statement provided to The Associated Press “this is a pending legal matter. We will have no further comment at this point.”
Georgia coach Kirby Smart spoke at the Southeastern Conference media days on July 16 about attempts to address repeated driving offenses by his players.
Smart said players have been suspended and fined through the collective that provides name, image and likeness payments to the school’s athletes.
Georgia players have been involved in 24 driving-related violations (DUI, reckless driving or speeding), The Atlanta-Journal Constitution has reported, including a crash that killed a player and a recruiting staffer in January 2023.
“The incidents that have been happening off the field are not something we condone,” Smart said at the SEC media days. “It’s very unfortunate, disappointing, I guess is the best word.”
Georgia offensive lineman Devin Willock and recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy were killed in a car crash on Jan. 15, 2023, just days after the Bulldogs won the national title game.
NFL NEWS
REPORTS: PACKERS QB JORDAN LOVE LANDS RECORD EXTENSION
Jordan Love has made a mere 18 career regular-season starts, but the star quarterback cashed in on last season’s impressive run by agreeing to a four-year, $220 million contract extension with the Green Bay Packers, according to multiple media reports on Friday.
Love, who started every game in 2023 after starting just once in his first two seasons in Green Bay, is now tied for being the highest-paid quarterback in league history in terms of average annual value. He moves alongside the Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow and the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence, with all three averaging $55 million per season.
The Packers QB also will receive an NFL-record $75 million signing bonus, and $155 million of his extension money is guaranteed.
Love has been in camp with the team, but he had not been practicing. His representatives indicated last weekend that they wanted his contract extension to be completed before he took the field, according to general manager Brian Gutekunst.
The 25-year-old Utah State product, whom the Packers drafted 26th overall in 2020, came on strong in the second half of last season, after the front office made clear that he needed to show he could produce if he wanted to remain in the team’s plans.
In the final eight games of the regular season, Love responded by throwing for 16 touchdowns with just one interception.
Green Bay went 6-2 down the stretch, including winning its final three games, to grab the NFC’s final wild-card berth. The Packers went into Dallas and overpowered the Cowboys 48-32 to open the playoffs, with Love throwing for 272 yards and three scores, before losing to the host San Francisco 49ers 24-21 in the divisional round.
Love finished the regular season with 4,159 yards passing, 32 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions.
FORMER CHIEFS LINEMAN ISAIAH BUGGS SENTENCED TO HARD LABOR IN ALABAMA ON ANIMAL CRUELTY CHARGES
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Former Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs has been convicted on two counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty charges.
Tuscaloosa County District Judge Joanne Jannik sentenced Buggs on July 19 to a year of hard labor, ordering him to serve 60 days. The rest would be suspended for two years “pending the behavior of the defendant.”
Buggs, 27, also is not allowed to have or be around firearms or own dogs or cats.
The Chiefs released the former Alabama player on June 24, eight days after his second recent arrest in Alabama. He was arrested on a charge of domestic violence/burglary and released on a $5,000 bond, according to records from the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office.
The run-stuffing tackle out of Alabama played three seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers before spending the past two with the Detroit Lions. He has started 23 games and appeared in 56 in his career, with 89 tackles and two sacks. He had signed a $1,292,500 contract with Kansas City for the upcoming season.
CHIEFS COULD GO BACK TO A WR COMMITTEE FOR THIRD STRAIGHT SEASON
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs haven’t had a dominant No. 1 wide receiver since trading Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins during the 2022 offseason.
Kansas City incorporated a committee approach at the position group over the past two seasons, but it didn’t produce a 1,000-yard wide receiver. The Chiefs addressed the position by using a first-round pick on Xavier Worthy during the 2024 NFL Draft and signing speedster Hollywood Brown to a one-year contract during free agency.
But despite the infusion of talent to a wideout group consisting of Rashee Rice, Skyy Moore, Kadarius Toney, Mecole Hardman and Justin Watson, among others, the Chiefs might be looking at another wide receiver-by-committee strategy.
“I don’t know if there will necessarily be one guy, but I think we got a lot of explosive guys,” quarterback Patrick Mahomes said Friday. “A lot of different guys are going to have big games, but it’s going to be the same few guys that are kind of going to be those lead candidates and other guys who step in and make plays happen.”
The committee approach worked from 2022-23 and it didn’t completely adversely impact the Chiefs offense, which remained a Top-10 unit over the past two seasons. Mahomes also didn’t necessarily need to rely on a dominant wide receiver because tight end Travis Kelce commands targets.
Kelce owns multiple NFL tight end records, which includes notching seven straight 1,000-yard receiving campaigns. The streak ended in 2023 after Kelce posted 984 yards receiving, but he remains an elite producer.
Help has arrived, though, as the Chiefs have now surrounded the four-time All-Pro tight end with what projects as a capable supporting cast to apply pressure on opponents.
“Obviously, we got Trav,” Mahomes said. “Rashee is going to be our guy who works over the middle, and I think Hollywood is going to do a great job of that. And obviously with Xavier, I think as the season goes on, he’s going to get even better and better.”
Rice appears primed to improve on his 2023 production of 79 catches for 938 yards and seven touchdowns. Mahomes, however, raises a good point on Worthy perhaps needing time to adjust from college to the professional level.
While the Chiefs drafted Worthy and signed Brown to help push the ball down the field, both players need to fully absorb the team’s complex playbook.
Mahomes expects big things when his wide receiver group eventually comes together.
“I think it’s going to be hard for teams to kind of game-plan one guy because we have a lot of guys that can go out there and have big games,” Mahomes said.
In the meantime, the Chiefs have used a lot of time during training camp practices getting the new-look wide receiver group involved with the deep ball. And with Worthy and Brown possessing sub 4.3 40-yard dash speed to lead the way, the results have proven positive for the entire wide receiver corps.
“They’ve got speed and they’re fast guys,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Friday. “They’re trying to maintain that through practice, which isn’t an easy thing to do. But they’re pacing themselves there and I like their attitude. We’ve got some depth there, so they keep challenging each other and we’ll be better.”
Mahomes echoed his head coach.
“You just see the speed that we have and how it’s opening up everybody,” Mahomes said. “It’s a great group. They all mesh well together, so I’m excited for their future because the sky is the limit.”
NOTES: Wide receiver Xavier Worthy (illness) returned to practice Friday. … Wide receiver Justin Watson (foot) didn’t practice and Reid said Watson is “day to day.” … Cornerback Nazeeh Johnson, who has missed time with a knee injury, returned. … The Chiefs were in pads for the first time in training camp, and Reid enjoyed the effort. “I thought the guys worked hard,” Reid said. “They challenged each other back and forth, offense and defense, a positive.”
DOLPHINS SIGNING TUA TO 4-YEAR, $212.4M EXTENSION
The Miami Dolphins and Tua Tagovailoa have agreed to terms on a four-year, $212.4-million extension, the quarterback’s agency told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The deal includes $167 million guaranteed, Schefter reports.
Tagovailoa’s $53.1-million average annual value ranks third among all quarterbacks, per Schefter. He trails only the Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow and Jacksonville Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence, who are both on deals averaging $55 million per season.
The lefty led the league with 4,624 passing yards last campaign. He also tossed 29 touchdowns against 14 interceptions. His efforts earned the Alabama product his first career Pro Bowl selection.
Tagovailoa has started 51 games since he was selected fifth overall in the 2020 draft, including all 17 in 2023. It marked the first time he’d been available for every contest.
The 26-year-old has tallied 12,639 yards, 81 touchdowns, and 37 interceptions on 66.9% passing over his career.
SAINTS CB MARSHON LATTIMORE EXITS PRACTICE WITH HIP INJURY
New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore left Friday’s training camp practice with a hip flexor injury.
Coach Dennis Allen confirmed the injury but did not provide any details about the severity.
Lattimore, 28, missed 10 games in 2022 and seven games in 2023 due to kidney and ankle issues, respectively.
The four-time Pro Bowl selection has 15 interceptions and 86 passes defensed in 90 starts since the Saints picked him in the first round (11th overall) in 2017.
Rookie Kool-Aid McKinstry worked with the first team after Lattimore departed on Friday.
STEELERS QB RUSSELL WILSON (CALF) HELD OUT OF PRACTICE AGAIN
The Pittsburgh Steelers exercised caution with quarterback Russell Wilson on Friday, holding him out of practice for a second straight day as he nurses a slight calf injury.
Wilson told reporters at training camp in Latrobe, Pa., that he “tweaked” his calf during a sled-push drill earlier this week.
“The good news is that I feel good,” Wilson told reporters. “We’ll get there.”
Coach Mike Tomlin said Justin Fields got the first-team reps because the coaching staff wanted “to keep a minor thing from becoming major” with the veteran Wilson.
Wilson, 35, got some work done on the side, he said.
The Steelers moved on from starter Kenny Pickett in the offseason, acquiring Wilson and Fields to fill the position.
On Wednesday, Tomlin reiterated Wilson, who won a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks, was entering camp as the No. 1 QB over Fields, 25, the 2021 first-round draft pick of the Chicago Bears.
The Steelers will play their first preseason game on Aug. 9 at home against the Houston Texans. They open the regular season Sept. 8 on the road against quarterback Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons.
PATRIOTS S JABRILL PEPPERS SIGNS CONTRACT EXTENSION
New England Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers signed a contract extension, coach Jerod Mayo confirmed on Friday morning.
“I can confirm it. I’m the head coach. I can confirm it,” Mayo said. “… I am very happy for Peppers and for his family and also for our team and the organization. He really embodies everything that we want on the field. He’s very selfless and flying around all the time. It’s good to get that deal done.”
While Mayo didn’t provide terms of the deal, ESPN reported Peppers’ extension is a three-year contract. It reportedly has a base value of $24 million and is worth up to $30 million with incentives.
Peppers, 28, had been heading into the final year of his existing contract.
He recorded 78 tackles, two interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in 15 games (all starts) last season.
Peppers has totaled 471 tackles, six interceptions, 5.5 sacks, five forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries in 93 career games (79 starts) with the Cleveland Browns (2017-18), New York Giants (2019-21) and Patriots. He was selected by the Browns with the 25th overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft.
BUCS SIGN FORMER UFL TE SAL CANNELLA
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed former UFL tight end Sal Cannella on Friday.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Cannella, 27, most recently played with the Arlington Renegades of the UFL, winning an XFL championship with the team in 2023. This past season, he had 53 receptions for 496 yards and a league-high six receiving touchdowns in 10 games with the Renegades.
Cannella also played in the USFL (2022), where he was named to the All-USFL Team while with the New Orleans Breakers.
He’s also played in the NFL, with offseason stints with the Miami Dolphins (2021), Green Bay Packers (2022), and Seattle Seahawks (2023).
He entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Dolphins after playing college football at Auburn (2017-19) and Scottsdale Community College (2016).
JAYDEN DANIELS SAYS IT’S ‘NOT A PROBLEM’ NOT TO BE NAMED THE COMMANDERS’ STARTING QB YET
ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — It might be an issue to some that Dan Quinn has yet to publicly name Jayden Daniels as the Washington Commanders’ starting quarterback.
Just don’t include Daniels among that group.
The 2023 Heisman Trophy winner and No. 2 pick in the NFL draft feels good about where he is as he continues to learn a new system. The fact that he’s yet to be anointed the starter less than a week into training camp is the least of his concerns.
“For me it’s not a problem at all,” Daniels said about his status after practice on Friday. “I’m a competitor, so regardless of if I was announced the starter or not, you still got to compete. You can’t be content with your job and be comfortable. I like competing.”
Daniels continued to take snaps during individual and team drills at practice alongside veterans Marcus Mariota, Jeff Driskel and undrafted rookie Sam Hartman. Daniels and Mariota continue to share the work with the first-team offense.
“That’s up to (Quinn and general manager Adam Peters) for their decision,” Daniels said. “For me, I can control how I go out there and practice, how I compete.”
In fact it was only two summers ago that Daniels found himself in the same uncertain spot after transferring out of Arizona State to SEC powerhouse LSU.
Daniels won that job. The rest is history.
As for the present day, Quinn joked a bit with reporters about the amount of questions he has fielded concerning Daniels but the former Atlanta Falcons coach and Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator did offer an early assessment of his prized rookie.
“We’re really going to stay true to this; we have a really good plan,” Quinn said about Washington’s strategy with bringing along Daniels during camp.
“He’s really doing a good job but with the team we’re going into our third day. He’s doing outstanding, and we’re really pleased where we’re at but we’re not changing timelines or guidelines.”
Of course being selected so high in the draft by a downtrodden Washington franchise, which has seen a revolving door at the position for years, comes with lofty expectations.
Like it or not, Daniels is already the face of the franchise. A walk past a temporary team store just to the side of practice prominently features his No. 5 jersey.
Daniels understands and acknowledges the role of a QB and is ready for everything that comes with it.
“I’ll just say for me I’m ready to embrace the teammates, the fanbase, everything that just comes with playing quarterback,” Daniels said.
“You have to be able to embrace everything that comes with it, the good, the bad. For me it’s how can I prepare myself mentally, physically and emotionally to go out there and compete every day on the practice field and then help out when it comes to game time if my name is called.”
FALCONS OFFENSIVE LINE KNOWS PROTECTING COUSINS IS VITAL TO TEAM’S HOPES FOR A WINNING SEASON
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Atlanta Falcons left guard Matthew Bergeron doesn’t have to be reminded that protecting the quarterback will be more important than ever with Kirk Cousins taking snaps.
That’s not just because Cousins is returning from a torn right Achilles tendon.
“Let’s be honest, he’s kind of old as well,” Bergeron said after Friday’s second practice of training camp.
Cousins will be 36 when the Falcons open the regular season. Cousins’ age didn’t stop the Falcons from signing the quarterback in March to a four-year, $180 million deal with $100 million guaranteed.
The Falcons protected their investment by surprising many observers when they selected another quarterback, Michael Penix, as the No. 8 overall pick in the NFL draft. Penix is viewed as the future starter, but Cousins is the unquestioned starter in 2024.
Cousins’ health is a major key to Atlanta’s hopes of making the playoffs for the first season since 2017.
Cousins took snaps with the first-team offense during offseason work, including minicamp, and was cleared for training camp as he returns from the injury that ended his 2023 season with Minnesota. Coach Raheem Morris says Cousins will be monitored during training camp.
Cousins said he has been told by the coach he is not expected to play in preseason games.
The Falcons return their full starting offensive line, led by right guard Chris Lindstrom and left tackle Jake Matthews. The unit is viewed as a strength of the team but that reputation was built on the team’s success as run blockers for former coach Arthur Smith.
The Falcons gave up 40 sacks in 2023, and former starter Desmond Ridder was sacked 31 times. Lindstrom says the unit must prove it can protect Cousins.
“Your identity is what you put on film,” Lindstrom said. “And so we have to go out there and prove it, you know. It’s simple. You want to always keep Kirk upright and make sure he has time to throw.”
Under Morris and offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, the Falcons are expected to place more emphasis on the passing game. Cousins has posted seven seasons with more than 4,000 passing yards. His experience could lead to quicker passes to help the pass-blocking efforts by the line.
Bergeron knows the line’s success in protecting Cousins will be closely watched.
“Yeah, we certainly have a chip on our shoulders,” Bergeron said. “I feel like, you know, Kirk got back from the injury. And also everybody appreciates Kirk. … You want to avoid any type of contact.”
Bergeron, a 2023 second-round pick from Syracuse, and center Drew Dalmon added stability to the line last season. Offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford says “the great thing” about the unit, which also includes right tackle Kaleb McGary, is having every starter return this season.
“A lot of these guys have been here now for several years and it’s just fun,” Ledford said Thursday. “I think that the more you can keep those guys, the more you can stay the same, the better each year you see them getting.”
NOTES: WR Drake London left practice early after becoming overheated, according to the team. … The team will practice in front of fans at Seckinger High School in Buford, Georgia, on Saturday night. It will be one of only two home practices in front of fans during camp due to ongoing renovation work at their practice facility. Fans can attend the team’s Aug. 2 practice at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Falcons will have joint practices at the Miami Dolphins’ camp on Aug. 6-7.
PLAYING WITH A FRANCHISE TAG, WR TEE HIGGINS WANTS ONE MORE SHOT AT THE SUPER BOWL WITH THE BENGALS
CINCINNATI (AP) — If Tee Higgins does have just one more season with the Cincinnati Bengals, he wants to make the most of it.
The 25-year-old receiver said he thought it better to sign his franchise tender, play well for all to see and try one more time to win a Super Bowl with the team that drafted him in 2020.
“You know, we’ve been close the past few years, and I just feel like I’m a piece of the puzzle that can help us get there,” Higgins said. “I want to win one with my guys I came in with, and that’s what I’m looking forward to doing.”
Unable to reach a long-term deal with the Bengals, Higgins ended up with the franchise tag, which keeps him in Cincinnati for the season before he’s eligible for free agency. He’ll make $21.8 million, the designated franchise salary for receivers — more than twice what he made in his first four seasons in the league put together.
“There was a lot of talk back and forth with my agent, what I wanted to do,” Higgins said this week. “Obviously, the Bengals weren’t making any moves other than tagging me.
“But it was just like, I grew up with nothing. At the end of the day, $21.8 (million), that’s life-changing money, you know what I’m saying?” Higgins said. “I could live with that for the rest of my life if I wanted to, but obviously I wanted more, and it didn’t happen. I made the decision (to) sign and be here with my guys.”
Higgins, in his fifth season, was an odd man out when it came to scoring a rich second contract with Cincinnati.
The Bengals made quarterback Joe Burrow the highest paid player in the NFL with a five-year, $275 million deal before last season. They’ll almost certainly give No. 1 receiver Ja’Marr Chase a new deal in the neighborhood of Justin Jefferson’s four-year, $140-million pact with the Minnesota Vikings.
The Bengals aren’t prepared to splash out on anybody else.
“It just didn’t come together,” said Duke Tobin, Cincinnati’s director of player personnel. “I don’t fault anybody on that. It’s got to work for us, and it has to work for them and sometimes that collides with each other and sometimes it misses. And we accept that, and he accepts that. I think his best chance for a great season is with the Cincinnati Bengals, and we’re happy he’s going to be here.”
A second-round draft pick in 2020 — Burrow was the top overall pick in that draft — Higgins has 257 catches for 3,684 yards and 24 touchdowns, including back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2021 and ’22. He was key part of the Bengals drive to the Super Bowl after the 2021 season.
He finished with 656 yards and five TDs last season while struggling with a rib injury.
“I think he’s going about it the right way,” Burrow said. “His business is his business, but I know that he’s a football player at heart.”
SAINTS QB JAKE HAENER ANNOUNCES ‘NON LIFE-THREATENING’ CANCER
Saints backup quarterback Jake Haener told reporters Friday that he has been diagnosed with a form of skin cancer.
Haener said he learned of the diagnosis just before the start of training camp, adding that he believes the diagnosis itself was fairly rare. He went to doctors to have a bump on his face checked out and received the news.
Haener also added that the cancer isn’t considered life-threatening at this time.
The 25-year-old is headed into his second NFL season after seeing no time as a rookie last fall. The Saints selected Haener out of Fresno State in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
BASEBALL NEWS
MLB ROUNDUP: METS BEAT BRAVES, LOSE KODAI SENGA
J.D. Martinez, Mark Vientos and Francisco Alvarez homered in the third inning Friday night for the host New York Mets, who continued their surge with an 8-4 victory over the Atlanta Braves in the second game of a four-game series.
The Mets extended their winning streak to five games and improved to 15-7 this month as they moved ahead of the Braves in the race for the National League’s first wild-card berth. The Braves took their season-high sixth straight loss and fell to 8-12 in July.
Mets starter Kodai Senga (1-0), making his season debut after sustaining a shoulder injury in February, allowed two runs on two hits and one walk while striking out nine over 5 1/3 innings. He exited after sustaining a left calf strain and will undergo an MRI exam Saturday.
The Mets sent 10 batters to the plate in the third against Braves starter Charlie Morton (5-6) and Daysbel Hernandez and scored seven runs.
Red Sox 9, Yankees 7
Masataka Yoshida’s two-run single up the middle highlighted a three-run eighth inning that helped Boston to a series-opening victory over visiting New York.
The Red Sox rallied after back-to-back home runs by Aaron Judge and Austin Wells in the seventh gave the Yankees a 7-4 lead in the seventh inning. Judge bashed a go-ahead, three-run shot to deep center.
With the Yankees up 7-6 in the eighth, Boston put two on against reliever Luke Weaver (4-2) before Wilyer Abreu greeted reliever Clay Holmes with a game-tying single. That set up Yoshida for the game-deciding hit.
Guardians 3, Phillies 1
Ben Lively allowed one run and three hits over six innings to fuel visiting Cleveland to a victory over Philadelphia. Lively (9-6), who made his major league debut with the Phillies in 2017, struck out six batters and walked two while snapping a three-start winless streak.
David Fry and Angel Martinez each had an RBI single and Bo Naylor added a run-scoring sacrifice bunt to send Cleveland to its third win in four games.
Philadelphia’s Bryson Stott homered to lead off the fifth inning, cutting the hosts’ deficit to 3-1. Stott added a single in both the seventh and the ninth for the Phillies, who mustered just six hits and committed two errors en route to losing for the seventh time in 10 games.
Astros 5, Dodgers 0
Framber Valdez pitched 6 1/3 shutout innings while Alex Bregman and Jon Singleton slugged home runs as Houston blanked visiting Los Angeles.
Valdez (9-5) matched his season high of 10 strikeouts and allowed four hits and two walks. Jake Meyers had three hits for the Astros, who won their second game in a row.
Shohei Ohtani and Gavin Lux each collected two hits for the Dodgers, who have lost two of three. Gavin Stone (9-4) permitted four runs in six innings.
Padres 6, Orioles 4
Jurickson Profar’s second two-run homer of the game broke a ninth-inning tie and sparked San Diego’s victory over host Baltimore for its sixth straight win.
The two-out blast was Profar’s 18th homer of the season and came off Orioles closer Craig Kimbrel (6-3), who was roughed up for the second day in a row. Padres reliever Robert Suarez (5-1) was the winner, working the final 1 2/3 innings despite blowing a save opportunity in the eighth.
Jordan Westburg and Anthony Santander homered for the Orioles, who lost for the fourth time in five games.
Mariners 10, White Sox 0
Josh Rojas, Dylan Moore and Victor Robles smacked successive home runs in a first-inning barrage and George Kirby delivered seven solid innings as Seattle routed host Chicago.
Seattle snapped a three-game losing streak while sending Chicago to its 12th straight defeat. The outcome was all but decided after the Mariners amassed eight runs in the first inning against White Sox rookie right-hander Drew Thorpe.
Kirby (8-7) cruised behind the early support, limiting the White Sox to six hits and a walk while striking out seven. The result ended his four-start winless streak.
Twins 9, Tigers 3
Pablo Lopez pitched seven strong innings, Minnesota batters backed him with four homers and the Twins cruised past host Detroit.
Lopez (9-7) gave up two runs and six hits while notching seven strikeouts. Byron Buxton and Christian Vazquez homered and drove in two runs apiece. Matt Wallner and Trevor Larnach had solo shots and Willi Castro added two RBIs for the Twins.
Javier Baez homered for the second straight game for Detroit. Keider Montero (1-4) allowed six runs (five earned) and eight hits in five innings. Prior to the game, Detroit’s All-Star outfielder Riley Greene was placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right hamstring strain.
Royals 6, Cubs 0
Salvador Perez homered and Brady Singer threw seven strong innings as Kansas City beat visiting Chicago.
Singer (7-6) allowed two singles and two walks and also hit a batter while striking out five. The Royals did all of their scoring in the fifth inning on Adam Frazier’s two-run single, Vinnie Pasquantino’s RBI hit and Perez’s three-run homer.
Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks (2-9) allowed six runs on eight hits in five innings. Seiya Suzuki had two of Chicago’s four hits.
Diamondbacks 4, Pirates 3
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. had three hits and scored the tiebreaking run on a wild pitch to help Arizona edge Pittsburgh in Phoenix.
Joc Pederson homered and Eugenio Suarez had two hits to help Arizona win for the ninth time in its past 12 games. Arizona starter Zac Gallen (8-5) gave up three runs and five hits in six-plus innings. He struck out six and walked three.
Joshua Palacios had a two-run single for Pittsburgh, which fell for just the fourth time in its past 14 games. Andrew McCutchen drove in one run and scored another for the Pirates, who were just 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position.
Reds 3, Rays 2 (10 innings)
Stuart Fairchild doubled home the tiebreaking run in the 10th inning as Cincinnati opened a three-game interleague series against Tampa Bay with a win in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Automatic runner Jeimer Candelario began the 10th inning at second base and was replaced by Austin Slater after moving to third on Tyler Stephenson’s groundout. Fairchild followed with a run-scoring double to left field against Manuel Rodriguez (1-2).
Nick Martinez (4-5) pitched two scoreless innings for the victory. Alexis Diaz retired Jonny DeLuca with runners at the corners in the 10th inning for his 20th save. Cincinnati has won three straight following a four-game losing streak.
Nationals 10, Cardinals 8 (10 innings)
Jacob Young tripled home three runs in the 10th inning and visiting Washington beat St. Louis to end a three-game losing streak.
Luis Garcia Jr. drove in three runs and Juan Yepez was 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs for the Nationals. Washington starter MacKenzie Gore allowed six runs on nine hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out three.
Paul Goldschmidt reached the 2,000-hit milestone with two hits, including a two-run homer, for the Cardinals. Nolan Arenado hit a three-run homer, and Masyn Winn hit a two-run shot and an RBI single.
Blue Jays 6, Rangers 5
Ernie Clement hit a walk-off single in the ninth and Toronto defeated visiting Texas in the opener of a three-game series.
Adolis Garcia had a two-run home run and three RBIs for the Rangers, who had a five-game winning streak end. Clement, George Springer and Justin Turner each had two hits and combined for two runs and two RBIs.
Toronto left-hander Yusei Kikuchi allowed five runs, eight hits and two walks in 4 2/3 innings. He struck out five. Texas left-hander Andrew Heaney allowed four runs, seven hits and one walk with four strikeouts in five innings.
Marlins 6, Brewers 2
Bryan De La Cruz and Jake Burger homered during a three-run first inning on as visiting Miami beat Milwaukee in the opener of a three-game series.
Josh Bell added a solo shot leading off the ninth for Miami, which holds the worst record in the National League but has won three of their past four games. Miami left-hander Trevor Rogers (2-9) limited Milwaukee to two runs on six hits over 5 1/3 innings.
Rhys Hoskins hit a solo home run for the NL Central-leading Brewers, who fell to 4-2 since the All-Star break.
Athletics 5, Angels 4
Seth Brown went 3-for-4 with a homer, and his sixth-inning RBI single on an overturned umpire’s call snapped a tie and lifted Oakland over Los Angeles in Anaheim, Calif.
The A’s entered the top of the sixth down 4-2, but Brent Rooker’s two-out, two-run homer tied the game. Later in the inning, Brown came to the plate with two on against Angels reliever Hans Crouse (4-1). Brown’s liner to right was ruled foul initially but overturned on review for an RBI single.
After allowing a pair of two-run home runs by the Angels’ Taylor Ward and Nolan Schanuel in the first inning, the Oakland pitching staff shut out the Angels the rest of the way. Starter Paul Blackburn (4-2) gave up the four runs on five hits in five innings, striking out two and walking one.
Giants 11, Rockies 4
Tyler Fitzgerald hit two home runs, Kyle Harrison struck out 11 and San Francisco opened a four-game home series with a blowout win over Colorado.
Jorge Soler began a big night by hitting Kyle Freeland’s sixth pitch of the game for his 12th homer of the season, helping the Giants win for just the sixth time in their last 16 games. Soler had three hits, four runs and three RBIs.
Fitzgerald, who began the night with just eight career homers, connected again after Soler walked in the sixth, capping off his first multiple-homer game. The blasts gave him eight for the season. Seven have come in his last eight games, a stretch that included two in two games against the Rockies in Colorado last week.
FREDDIE FREEMAN LEAVES DODGERS TO BE WITH AILING SON
First baseman Freddie Freeman was granted leave by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday to be with his ailing 3-year-old son.
Freeman was with the team when it traveled to Houston for the start of a weekend series against the Astros, but he exited ahead of Friday’s contest to return to California.
Chelsea Freeman, Freddie’s wife, wrote on Instagram that their son Maximus has transient synovitis, a temporary condition that causes hip inflammation and typically occurs in young boys.
According to Chelsea Freeman, Maximus first had a viral infection last week when the family was in Arlington, Texas, for the All-Star Game.
Maximus was discharged from a California hospital early Wednesday, but Chelsea Freeman wrote, “if he doesn’t improve in 48 hours he needs to go back to the hospital.”
The ailment prevented the boy from sitting, standing or walking for three days, and he wouldn’t eat, according to Chelsea Freeman.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Freddie Freeman leaving the team, “I just know that something spurred it where he feels like he’s gotta go home. … He’s trying to be here for the team and also be there for his family. But when your child is going through things, it’s just hard to be present and rightfully so.
“He certainly had a heavy heart the last few days and I just pray that Max is going to recover well and have a full recovery.”
Roberts said the Dodgers had yet to decide if Freeman would be taken off the roster and placed on the family leave list, which would require him to miss a minimum of three games.
Freeman, an eight-time All-Star, is batting .288 with 16 homers and 67 RBIs in 104 games this year.
Cavan Biggio started at first base in Freeman’s place Friday night and went 0-for-4 as Los Angeles lost 5-0 to Houston.
PHILLIES DEAL OUTFIELDER PACHE, RELIEVER DOMÍNGUEZ TO BALTIMORE FOR 2023 ALL-STAR OUTFIELDER HAYS
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies acquired outfielder Austin Hays from the Baltimore Orioles on Friday in exchange for right-handed pitcher Seranthony Domínguez and outfielder Cristian Pache, in a deal between the East Division leaders in both leagues.
The starting center fielder in the 2023 All-Star Game for the American League, Hays got off to a terrible start and has just three homers and 14 RBIs in 63 games this season for the Orioles.
Baltimore entered Friday at 61-41 and held a two-game lead over the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Phillies boast the best record in baseball at 64-38.
Originally selected by the Orioles in the third round of the 2016 MLB Draft, Hays played 557 games for Baltimore over parts of seven seasons and had 121 doubles, eight triples, 66 home runs, 242 RBIs and 126 walks. Against left-handers in his career, he has hit .272 with a .328 on-base percentage and .463 slugging percentage.
The Phillies could use Hays in a platoon with left-handed hitting Brandon Marsh in left field as they chase their third straight trip to the playoffs and their first World Series championship since 2008.
The 29-year-old Domínguez appeared in 230 games for the Phillies over parts of six seasons. He is 3-2 with one save and a 4.25 ERA this season in 38 games.
Pache hit .202 in 50 games for the Phillies this season.
RED SOX ACQUIRE LHP JAMES PAXTON FROM DODGERS
The Boston Red Sox welcomed back a familiar face on Friday by acquiring left-hander James Paxton from the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Red Sox sent minor league infielder Moises Bolivar to the Dodgers to complete the deal. Boston also transferred right-hander Bryan Mata to the 60-day injured list to make room for Paxton.
Paxton, who spent the 2023 season with Boston, was designated for assignment by Los Angeles on Monday. He posted an 8-2 record with a 4.43 ERA in 18 starts with the Dodgers since signing a one-year, $7 million contract in the offseason.
Paxton, 35, stepped up for Los Angeles while its rotation dealt with myriad injuries.
In 11 major league seasons, Paxton is 72-40 with a 3.76 ERA over 174 starts for the Seattle Mariners (2013-18, 2021), New York Yankees (2019-20), Red Sox and Dodgers.
Bolivar, 17, is batting .270 with three homers and 19 RBIs in 31 games with the Dominican Summer League Red Sox.
GOLF NEWS
LAUREN COUGHLIN MAINTAINS LEAD AT CPKC WOMEN’S OPEN
Lauren Coughlin, a winless 31-year-old veteran, maintained her lead after the second round of the CPKC Women’s Open on Friday in Calgary.
Coughlin shot a 2-under-par 70 at Earl Grey Golf Club on Friday and wound up at 6-under 138. She sits one stroke ahead of South Korea’s Haeran Ryu, who logged a second-round 69, and Australia’s Hannah Green, who shot a 70 on Friday.
Lilia Vu (70), Jennifer Kupcho (72) and New Zealand’s Lydia Ko (71) are tied for fourth at 3 under.
Ryann O’Toole (68), Ally Ewing (69), Rose Zhang (71), Japan’s Yuri Yoshida (71), South Korea’s Hye-Jin Choi (72) and Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn (73) share seventh place at 2 under.
Coughlin, who finished in the top five in two majors earlier this year, is looking forward to playing in the final group this weekend.
“Means you’re playing really good golf. You get to sleep in, which is nice, too,” she said. “Yeah, I’m excited. Still two more rounds to go. Just trying to stay in the moment as much as I can and stay in each shot as best I can and not try to get too ahead of myself.
“I feel like I did a little bit today. I felt like I’m playing so good I kept getting so excited and wanting to go and we were waiting so much. Just staying super patient is going to be the big key.”
Coughlin birdied three of her first five holes on Friday, then made 12 pars and one bogey (at the par-4 11th hole) the rest of the way.
“The front nine, you have to take advantage,” Coughlin said. “If not, the back nine can really get you.”
Ryu was tied for the lead until she bogeyed the par-4 18th hole. Her up-and-down round included seven birdies and four bogeys.
Green was similarly inconsistent, carding five birdies and three bogeys.
“It was tough again out there,” Green said. “There was some pretty strong wind gusts, especially our last few holes, so committing to the shot you were envisioning was kind of difficult.
“Yeah, I’m kind of glad that I’m finished for Friday and I can go relax now.”
Megan Khang, who captured the championship when the event was played in Vancouver last year, shot a 71 on Friday to sit in a tie for 26th at 1 over par.
TAYLOR PENDRITH GRABS TWO-SHOT DAY 2 LEAD AT 3M OPEN
Canadian Taylor Pendrith fired a 7-under 64 on the second day of action at the 3M Open in Blaine, Minn., to take a two-shot lead Friday.
Now 12 under for the tournament, Pendrith built off a first-round 66, pocketing birdies on Nos. 4 and 7 before catching fire on the back nine. He finished with three birdies over his final four holes and had seven birdies on the day.
Matt NeSmith, who matched Pendrith’s round with a 7 under on his own scorecard, is now his closest pursuer at 10 under for the tournament.
Andrew Putnam sits a stroke behind in third at 9 under after scoring a 5-under 66.
NeSmith’s day included an eagle on the par-5 12th hole. He added birdies on Nos. 1, 2, 6, 14 and 16.
Putnam’s day didn’t feature such highs as NeSmith’s, but he did grab five birdies of his own.
Rookie Jacob Bridgeman, who led after a first-round 63, fell into a tie for third with Putnam after finishing with a 1-under 70. His day included two bogeys and three birdies, with two of his birdies coming over his last four holes.
Three golfers are tied for fifth at 8 under: Doug Ghim (7-under 64), Lanto Griffin (5-under 66) and Venezuela’s Jhonattan Vegas (5-under 66).
Sahith Theegala (69), the event’s highest ranked player in the FedEx Cup standings at No. 7 and world rankings at No. 11, fell into a tie for ninth with eight other golfers at 7 under.
K.J. CHOI SURGES IN FRONT AT SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP
K.J. Choi carded his second straight 69 on Friday to secure a two-shot lead after the second round at The Senior Open Championship in Scotland.
Choi offset three bogeys with four birdies and an eagle. He took the lead after following a birdie on the par-4 11th with an eagle at the par-5 12th on a day where competitors battled 10-20 mph winds at Carnoustie Golf Links.
“It’s still a tough course, every tee shot and second shot,” Choi said. “My home in Dallas in the States, it’s windy, very strong. I can practice my iron play, low ball, curving ball, right-to-left kind is a tough shot.”
This marks Choi’s third time holding at least a share of the lead after the second round on the PGA Champions Tour. The 54-year-old from South Korea is seeking his second Champions victory, his first coming at the 2021 PURE Insurance Championship.
Canada’s Stephen Ames dropped to second place after shooting an even-par 72 to enter the weekend at 4 under.
Ames posted pars on all but two holes in the second round. He birdied the par-5 12th and bogeyed the par-4 17th.
“I think it was a bit tougher today, this morning, than it was yesterday afternoon,” Ames said. “A lot more blustery. It was more going for the middle of the greens, 25-, 30-footers. It was tough to make birdies from there.”
The 60-year-old Ames has nine Champions titles, including the 2024 Mitsubishi Electric Classic, but the Canadian has never won a Champions major.
Two-time Senior Open runner-up Padraig Harrington is tied for third after shooting a 2-under 70. The Irishman won the 2007 Open Championship and can become the fifth golfer to win The Open and The Senior Open.
“Three behind going into the weekend. … That’s where you want to be,” Harrington said. ” … We’ve only played 36 holes. Feels like we’ve done 72 at this stage. Been a tough 36 holes with that weather and wind and you’ve got to all be on, and I’m sure it’s going to be another 36 of tough mental fortitude to come.”
Harrington is level with Australia’s Richard Green, who carded a 72. Green, 53, is vying for his first Champions win.
Defending champion Alex Cejka of Germany shot 74 on Friday and is one of seven players tied for 21st at 3 over.
India’s Arjun Atwal shot a 4-under 68 to card Friday’s lowest round.
TOP INDIANA SPORTS RELEASES
INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS
WILLIAMS’ FOUR HITS PROPEL INDIANS TO FOURTH STRAIGHT VICTORY OVER I-CUBS, 7-3
DES MOINES, Iowa – Behind a four-hit performance from Alika Williams, the Indianapolis Indians notched their fourth straight victory over the Iowa Cubs on Friday night at Principal Park, 7-3.
The Indians (11-12, 44-52) plated runs in the first four frames and never looked back. A pair of Williams and Henry Davis singles kickstarted Indianapolis’ offense in the first, and Williams was brought home by Liover Peguero later in the inning to tally the contest’s first run.
Back at it in the second, Matt Gorski led off with a single and Jason Delay followed with a double. A wild pitch in the next at-bat from Brandon Birdsell (L, 0-3) brought Gorski home, and Andrés Alvarez smacked a single to center to push the Indians’ advantage to three.
The Indians’ next two runs came courtesy of a single from Matt Fraizer in the third and double from Davis in the fourth.
Iowa (10-15, 43-57) got on the board in the fifth inning on a Jack Reinheimer sac fly, but Indianapolis quickly countered in the sixth with a Seth Beer RBI double and Gorski RBI single to make it 7-1.
The I-Cubs began to rally in the eighth when Trayce Thompson hammered a triple to center field and Chase Strumpf followed with a single, but the threat ended there.
Indians starter Jake Woodford (W, 2-5) tossed 5.0 innings, allowing one run on seven hits with seven strikeouts.
The Indians and I-Cubs will meet for the penultimate game of the series tomorrow at 7:08 PM ET. RHP Luis Cessa (3-4. 4.22) gets the nod for Indianapolis and RHP Connor Noland (1-0, 0.00) will counter for Iowa.
PURDUE ATHLETICS
BOILERMAKER OLYMPIANS READY TO COMPETE ON THE WORLD STAGE
No matter how you measure it, experience will serve as a teacher for the Purdue athletes participating in the Paris Summer Olympics.
In diving, the sport of four current Boilermakers, there will be the added benefit of having four-time medalist David Boudia as an assistant coach of Team USA.
“I don’t know if it is cooler to make it as an athlete or watch someone make it,” says Boudia, who is in his fourth year as a coach with the Boilermaker diving program and who recently took over the head coaching position when Adam Soldati stepped down for health reasons. “Anytime you go to an event at this level, the athletes who will have success are the ones that can control (what is going on in) their heads. I love working with them on that part of the sport.”
And Boudia’s message is resonating. Maycey Vieta was the first to qualify, competing for Puerto Rico and assuring Purdue will be represented in diving for the fifth straight Olympics. She has been in several international championship events, but this will be her first at the quadrennial showcase.
“My goal is pretty simple; I want to execute my cues on all five dives,” Vieta says. “That is what Dave and I have worked on. These are the same five dives I have done (in competitions) for the last four years.”
It’s a bigger stage, to be sure, but it is also about having the mind lead the body into flawless execution.
While Boudia will be coaching Vieta at the games, it is also extra special for her to have support from Boilermaker teammates Daryn Wright (representing the U.S.) and Jaye Patrick (Latvia) while the trio competes in the 10-meter platform event.
“It feels like home having all the Purdue divers in Paris,” Vieta says. “It is very comforting to have all my teammates there. Dave and Adam warned us that it would be a new experience and, at times, emotionally exhausting because of other events like the opening ceremonies. Still, we will represent our country, which is the focus.”
Along with Wright, Boudia will help coach Brandon Loschiavo on 10-meter as well as Greg Duncan and Tyler Downs in the 3-meter synchronized diving event. Duncan is a four-time All-American and will team with Downs, who spent a year at Purdue and won the 2022 NCAA title on platform. Loschiavo did not learn he had qualified until a day before the opening ceremonies when a quota spot opened up late for diving. Like Wright, he had finished as the runner-up on 10-meter at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in June. Downs and Loschiavo competed in the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, while Duncan, age 25, is making his first appearance on the world’s biggest athletic stage.
“This team (at Purdue) is built with Olympians and those that treat the sport with respect,” says Duncan, who admits he will rely on his diving partner’s previous Olympic experience in Paris. “If we do what we are expected to do, it will turn out great.”
Although all of the divers except Downs are first-time Olympians, all are veterans of elite international competition. Wright (20) is the youngest and Downs turned 21 in mid-July.
Patrick began her collegiate career at Northwestern before spending her fifth year as a graduate student training at the Morgan J. Burke Aquatic Center under Soldati and Boudia. She credits Boudia for convincing her to continue her career after she competed for Latvia at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Japan.
“I was always realistic, thinking, ‘No, this can’t be me who will make it to the Olympics,’ especially since I started so late,” Patrick says. “Dave said, ‘You are not done yet; we will work on this and get you to the Olympics.’ So, it became a realistic dream of mine about a year ago. He worked on the mental approach, and it changed everything.”
When Patrick gets to the City of Light, her approach will be simple. “I want to keep my head on straight and do my best,” she says. “I used to be alone at international competitions in past years, but now I have teammates and coaches (that I know). It means so much.”
Wright says Boudia and Soldati’s approach to the mental aspect also helped her earn a spot on Team USA. And she will utilize their “one day at a time” approach when the competition begins. Especially after some heartbreak in past international competitions.
“(The Olympics) is the same thing I have done for a long time,” Wright says. “It just has a fancy name attached to it.”
EXPERIENCE ALSO PERMEATES PURDUE’S NON-DIVING OLYMPIANS
Boilermakers Annie Drews, Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, Devynne Charlton, Nikola Aćin and Paula Reto will all make their second trip to the Olympic Games.
Drews played a vital role on the USA’s first-ever women’s volleyball gold medal team in the Tokyo Games, while Enekwechi will look to improve on his 12th-place finish in the shot put. Charlton had a sixth-place finish in the 100-meter hurdles in the 2020 Olympics, representing the Bahamas. She is now a world record holder in the 60-meter hurdles, traditionally an indoor event. Aćin earned a second trip to the Olympics after being part of Serbia’s victorious 4×100-meter freestyle relay at the European Aquatics Championships in June.
Former Purdue golfer Reto will make her second appearance after competing for South Africa in Rio in 2016.
“It is such an accomplishment to have ‘Olympian’ next to your name,” says Reto, a freshman on Purdue’s 2010 national championship team. “It is one dream to get there and another to win something.”
Reto, who has competed on the LPGA Tour since graduating from Purdue in 2013, won’t be able to attend the opening or closing ceremonies as golf takes place in the middle of the Games, sandwiched between LPGA events. But she hopes to help her Purdue brethren, even if it is from the stands.
“My goal is to see many other sports and other Purdue athletes perform in Paris,” Reto says. “I fondly remember cheering David on in Rio.
“Purdue changed my life. We had such a great coach in Devon Brouse. Everything we had at Purdue was in top shape, and I love that the tradition of athletics excellence lives on at the Olympic Games.”
BOILERMAKER GOLD IN PAST SUMMER GAMES
Purdue has been a frequent participant in the Summer Games and has had success, winning 14 gold medals, seven silver medals and six bronze medals.
Ray Ewry’s 10 gold medals in the standing high jump and long jump from 1900-08 boosted the school’s medal totals. Purdue went without a medal for the next nine Olympiads before swimmer Keith Carter won a silver in the 200-meter breaststroke in London in 1948. Four years later, Coach Richard “Pappy” Papenguth coached the U.S. women’s swimming and diving team. Papenguth led the Boilermaker swimming program until 1969.
Howie Williams (1952) and Terry Dischinger (1960) are the lone Boilermaker men’s basketball players who earned medals (both gold). Fifty-two years later, David Boudia dramatically brought home the gold in 10-meter diving in London. Amanda Elmore became the first Boilermaker woman to win gold. Elmore won it in rowing in 2016, followed by Annie Drews in volleyball in 2020.
Purdue’s participation in the Summer Games in the 21st century is by far its most remarkable run of success since the Modern Games began in 1896. In total, 55 athletes with Purdue ties have competed since summer competition began, 31 since 2000.
2024 Boilermaker Olympians (years at Purdue)
Nikola Aćin, Swimming (2019-22) – Serbia
Devynne Charlton, Track & Field (2014-17) – The Bahamas
Annie Drews, Volleyball (2012-15) – USA
Greg Duncan, Diving (2019-22) – USA
Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, Track & Field (2012-16) – Nigeria
Brandon Loschiavo, Diving (2016-21) – USA
Matheo Mateos, Swimming (incoming graduate transfer) – Paraguay
Jaye Patrick, Diving (2024) – Latvia
Paula Reto, Golf (2010-13) – South Africa
Maycey Vieta, Diving (2020-24) – Puerto Rico
Daryn Wright, Diving (2022-) – USA
2024 Boilermaker Paralympians (years at Purdue)
Evan Austin, Swimming (volunteer assistant coach 2019-22, currently trains at the Burke Aquatic Center) – USA
Joel Gomez, Track & Field (2023-) – USA
NOTRE DAME SWIMMING
GUILIANO, CHRISTIANSON SET FOR PARIS OLYMPICS
The 2024 Paris Olympic Games will officially kick off on Friday night, and a pair of current Notre Dame men’s swimmers will compete: rising senior Chris Guiliano (Douglassville, Pa.) and rising graduate student Tyler Christianson (Easton, Md.).
Guiliano, who has become one of the American favorites since the Olympic Trials, will swim at least five events in his Olympic debut. Individually, he qualified for the 50, 100 and 200 free, becoming the first American swimmer since Matt Biondi did so in 1988 to earn that slate. He will also compete in the 4×100 freestyle relay and the 4×200 freestyle relay. Guiliano could also earn a spot on the medley relay, but that is to be determined by the Team USA staff.
Guiliano will start with the 4×100 freestyle relay, which will take place on Saturday, July 27. It will be followed by the 200 free (July 28-29), 4×200 freestyle relay and 100 freestyle (July 30-31) and 50 freestyle (August 1-2). Approximate times for the events can be found here.
Peterson Family Head Coach Chris Lindauer is serving as a coach for Team USA, his first international assignment with the team.
Christianson is competing in his second Olympics for Team Panama (Tokyo 2021), and he will swim the 200 breaststroke. He finished 29th overall in Tokyo, posting a personal best time of 2:13.41 and winning his preliminary heat by almost 2 seconds.
The heats for the event in Paris are Tuesday, July 30 starting at 5 a.m. ET. Irish assistant coach Trevor Carroll is the head coach for Team Panama.
BALL STATE GOLF
BELLAR, GILMORE, SMITH PARTICIPATING IN PRESTIGIOUS SOUTHEASTERN AMATEUR THIS WEEKEND
MUNCIE, Ind. – Ball State men’s golfers Kash Bellar, Happy Gilmore and Carter Smith are participating this week in the prestigious Southeastern Amateur presented by Aflac, at the Country Club of Columbus (Ga.).
Bellar qualified for the event last year, and now is joined by a pair of teammates. Gilmore, who recently completed his high school eligibility at Bloomington South High School, officially begins his Ball State career when students return to campus next month.
The 95th Southeastern Amateur features 54 holes of individual stroke play and is conducted this week as one of the country’s top amateur events. The 72-player tournament with a rich history was first established in 1922 when it was created by Fred Haskins. Each year, the top-level tournament hosts many of the nation’s best amateur golfers, from Division I NCAA National Champions to the nation’s top Mid-Amateurs.
SOUTHERN INDIANA SWIMMING
USI SWIMMING & DIVING RELEASES 2024-25 SEASON SCHEDULE
EVANSVILLE, Ind.- University of Southern Indiana Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving squads have announced their schedule ahead of the 2024-25 season. The Screaming Eagles gained some momentum last year as they head into their third season of the program’s existence competing in the Summit League.
The Eagles begin their regular season with a road trip taking on the newly branded Indiana University Indianapolis (previously known as IUPUI) for the second year in a row (October 5). USI hosts four home meets in the 2024-25 season taking on Valparaiso University (October 10) in the home opener. The men are 1-2 against Valparaiso, while the women are 2-1.
USI takes on the Indiana Intercollegiate hosted by Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana (October 12) for the second straight year. After the intercollegiate, both squads return to the USI Aquatic Center to host Bellarmine University (October 26).
Both squads take on two ultra-competitive invites to conclude the fall. First, USI travels to Southern Illinois University-Carbondale for the third straight year of the A3 Performance Invitational (November 14-16). The fall season concludes in Greensboro, North Carolina at the U.S. Open (December 4-7).
The competitive schedule continues into the new year with a road trip to Evanston, Illinois to match up with Northwestern University (January 10). The Eagles stay in the Chicago area to battle University of Illinois-Chicago and Eastern Illinois University in a tri-meet (January 11), hosted by the Flames.
The battle for the city takes place at the USI Aquatic Center against University of Evansville (January 17). The city will be represented all over the pool with numerous tri-state area athletes represented. USI finishes the month with their home finale against Summit League Rival, the Eastern Illinois Panthers (January 18). The men are 2-0 all-time, while the women are 1-1 against the Panthers.
The seasons efforts culminate with the four-day Summit League Championships (February 19-22) with all the conference teams battling for the title. The venue for the 2025 championship has been moved from Minneapolis to Iowa City this year.
Both teams finished seventh in the Summit League last season as they look to continue to grow and compete for the Summit League Championship in 2024-25.
Check out the full schedule and roster at usiscreamingeagles.com and follow @USIAthletics on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for updates.
INDIANA SMALL COLLEGE WEB SITES
INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS: https://iwuwildcats.com/
EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/
WABASH ATHLETICS: https://sports.wabash.edu/
FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/
ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS: https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/
ANDERSON ATHLETICS: https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index
TRINE ATHLETICS: https://trinethunder.com/landing/index
BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/
DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/
HANOVER ATHLETICS: https://athletics.hanover.edu/
MANCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/
HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/
OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx
ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index
IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/
IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/
IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/
PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/
INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx
GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://gclancers.com/
ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/
GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/
HOY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php
TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/
VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index
NUMBERS IN SPORTS
4 – 3 – 17 – 5 – 18 – 7 – 36 – 14 – 25 – 24 – 16
July 27, 1927 – Mel Ott, who wore Number 4 for many years after, at the age of just 18, hit his 1st league home run which was of the inside the park variety.
July 27, 1946 – Boston Red Sox Number 3, Rudy York hit two grand slams in 1 game, and got 10 RBIs against the St. Louis Browns
July 27, 1953 – Dizzy Dean most famous for his Number 17 with the Cardinals, Al Simmons who wore Number 7 three times in his career, Chief Bender of the Philadelphia Athletics 1903 to 1914, Bobby Wallace famously of the St Louis Browns, Harry Wright a 19th century Boston Red Stockings pitcher, Ed Barrow an early MLB manager, Former Umpire Bill Klem and Tom Connolly were all inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame
July 27, 1970 – Lou Boudreau Number 5 with the Indians, Earle Combs Number 1 on the Yankees, former executive Ford Frick, and pitcher Jesse Haines, Number 16 with the Cardinals all were enshrined into the Baseball Hall of Fame
July 27, 1978 – Indians Duane Kuiper, Number 18 became the third player to hit 2 bases-loaded triples as Cleveland played the Yankees.
July 27, 1983 – Gaylord Perry Number 36 joined Nolan Ryan and Steve Carlton on the list of MLB pitchers to reach 3,500 career strikeouts, also winning his 1st game as a member of the Kansas City Royals
July 27, 1984 – Cincinnati Reds’ Pete Rose, Number 14 collects record 3,503rd career single (vs Philadelphia)
July 27, 1988 – Baseball star Tommy John, Number 25 commits record 3 errors on just one play as Yanks rout Brewers 16-3
July 27, 1993 – Detroit Tiger Travis Fryman, Number 24 hit for cycle but loses 12-7 to Yankees
July 27, 1997 – The Detroit Tigers retired franchise pitching legend Hal Newhouser’s Number 16 jersey
FOOTBALL HISTORY
This day in American football history
July 27, 1929 – According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Chris O’Brien sold the Chicago Cardinals to David Jones on this day. Our friend Joe Ziemba in his book When Football was Football; The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFL says that the 1928 season had been a debacle for the Cardinals as they finished the season with a 1-5 League record, being outscored 107-7! O’Brien had been secretly trying to find a buyer for his team for about three years. The first announcement of sale according to Joe took place on July 18, 1929, and Bears owner George Halas was involved in it.
July 27, 1929 – The Orange Tornadoes / Newark Tornadoes franchise joins the NFL and is a League member from 1929 through the 1930 season.
July 27, 1929 – The Staten Island Stapletons or Stapes franchise forms as the Brooklyn franchise and then was transferred to Staten Island.
July 27, 1964 – Running back Willie “The Wisp” Galimore along with teammate Bo Farrington tragically died at age 29 in a car accident near Rensselaer, Indiana. Galimore played for Florida A&M from 1952 through 1955. He was selected 58th overall by Chicago Bears in 1956 NFL Draft and played with Chicago right up until the season prior to his passing. Yahoo.com lists his NFL career Stats as 670 carries for 2,985 yards and 26 touchdowns. The Wisp was a Pro Bowl selection in 1958 and helped Bears win the NFL Championship in 1963. Experts claimed that he was able run side-to-side as fast as most players could run in a straight line. Hall of Famers Chuck Bednarik and Doug Atkins said Galimore was one of the best rushers they ever faced. The Bears franchise eventually retired Willie Gallimore’s is number 28 jersey as tribute to the fallen star.
July 27, 1973 – The Chicago College All-Star game was played in Chi-town’s Soldier Field and 54,103 fans watched as the Champion Miami Dolphins knocked off the All-Stars 14-3. The MVP award, always given to the college player team, happened to be Ray Guy the punter from Southern Miss.
July 27, 2018 – NFL Veterans of the following teams reported to training camp: Denver Broncos, LA Chargers, Arizona Cardinals and the Minnesota Vikings.
Hall of Fame Birthdays for July 27
July 27, 1910 – Waynesville, North Carolina – Fred Crawford was the fine tackle from Duke University. Mr. Crawford entered into the place of legends, the confines of the College Football Hall of Fame in the 1973 induction class. He was a consensus All-American selection in 1933 and was the main contributor for the Blue Devil’s upset over the great Tennessee Volunteers squad that season, which happened to be the Vols only loss in 2-1/2 years. Duke’s head coach Wade Wallace described Crawford as the best lineman he had ever seen play.
July 27, 1950 – Detroit, Michigan – Reggie McKenzie was a guard out of the University of Michigan who entered the College Football Hall of Fame in the 2002 class. Mr. McKenzie followed up his stellar play in college with an 11-year career with the Buffalo Bills in the NFL. He was a mainstay force in the Bills O-line dubbed “The Electric Company”. The big man played an additional two season in the NFL for the Seattle Seahawks before retiring in 1984. Reggie McKenzie started 169 of his total 171 NFL games, that is quite an accomplishment!
July 27, 1959 – Natchez, Mississippi – Hugh Green was a defensive end from the University of Pittsburgh. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in the entry group of 1996. Mr. Green was an outside linebacker in the NFL playing for the Tampa Bay Bucs and the Miami Dolphins. After his senior year season, Green was awarded the Walter Camp Trophy, the Maxwell Award, Sporting News Player of the Year Aard, the Lombardi Award and the UPI Player of the Year. The Pitt Panthers appreciated his great play so much that before his final game played for the University, they retired his number 99 jersey.
July 27 Important Football Birthdays
July 27, 1939 – Hammond, Indiana – Cornerback Irv Cross of the Northwestern teams from 1958 through 1960 was born. According to a post on Yahoo.com, Irv was selected as the 98th overall pick in the 1961 NFL Draft by the by Philadelphia Eagles. During his NFL career he played not only with the Eagles, but with the LA Rams as well. His career numbers include 22 interceptions and many passes defended. Cross was a two-time Pro Bowl selection in both 1964 and 1965. He is best known for his role as analyst/commentator on CBS’ The NFL Today from 1975 till 1990. Irv Cross was the first African-American to work full-time as an analyst on national television.
July 27, 1988 – Big Spring, Texas – Former Texas A&M Quarterback Ryan Tannehill arrived into this life. Ryan was selected eighth overall by Miami Dolphins in 2012 NFL Draft. He has had his vest seasons though as a Tennessee Titan though leading them to the playoffs.
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
July 27
1918 — Brooklyn rookie Henry Heitman completed one of the shortest careers in major league history. Heitman appeared on the mound against the St. Louis Cardinals, gave up four consecutive hits and then left the game, never to play a major league game again.
1930 — Ken Ash of Cincinnati got his last major league victory by throwing one pitch. Ash came into relieve in the fifth inning and got Chicago’s Charlie Grimm to hit into a triple play. Ash was removed for a pinch hitter and the Reds beat the Cubs 6-5.
1946 — Rudy York of Boston hit two grand slams and drove in 10 runs as the Red Sox beat the St. Louis Browns 13-6.
1950 — Del Ennis of the Philadelphia Phillies drove in seven runs in the seventh and eighth innings of a 13-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Ennis doubled with the bases loaded in the seventh and hit a grand slam in the eighth.
1959 — New York lawyer William Shea announced the formation of the Continental League. New York, Houston, Toronto, Denver and Minneapolis-St. Paul were the five cities named and Branch Rickey was named league president.
1978 — Duane Kuiper of Cleveland tied a major league record by becoming the third player in the 20th century to hit two triples in a game. Both came with the bases loaded as the Indians beat the New York Yankees 17-5.
1984 — Montreal’s Pete Rose passed Ty Cobb for the most singles in a career with No. 3,053, against the Philadelphia Phillies.
1986 — Two 300-game winners faced each other , with Don Sutton going six strong innings to outpitch Tom Seaver and give the California Angels a 3-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox.
1996 — The San Diego Padres pounded the Florida Marlins 20-12. Wally Joyner led the way with five RBIs and John Flaherty hit a grand slam. The Padres were the sixth club to score 20 runs in a game this season. The last time that happened was 1929.
2008 — Oakland reliever Brad Ziegler recorded six outs to set a major league record with 27 scoreless innings to begin his career. Ziegler broke the previous mark of 25 innings set by Philadelphia Phillies right-hander George McQuillan in 1907.
2009 — Washington’s Josh Willingham became the 13th player to hit two grand slams in a game, doing so in the Nationals’ 14-6 win at Milwaukee. Willingham’s eight RBIs were the most in Nationals history and tied the franchise mark.
2011 — Major League Baseball acknowledged umpire Jerry Meals made the wrong call in Atlanta’s 4-3, 19th-inning win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates filed a complaint hours after the longest game in team history.
2011 — Ervin Santana pitched the first solo no-hitter for the Angels in nearly 27 years, striking out 10 and leading Los Angeles over Cleveland 3-1. Santana allowed two runners — an error on the leadoff batter that resulted in a first-inning run and a walk in the eighth.
2011 — The Tampa Bay Rays broke one of baseball’s oldest records when they played their 705th consecutive game with a starting pitcher younger than 30 years old. The Rays lost to Oakland 13-4.
2013 — Tampa Bay Rays rookie Chris Archer helped American League teams pitch a trio of 1-0 games, the first time that’s happened on the same day in nearly a half-century. The last time three AL games ended 1-0 on the same day was Sept. 4, 1965. Archer and Tampa Bay edged New York at Yankee Stadium, Justin Masterson and the Cleveland bullpen blanked Texas and Wade Davis and Royals relievers shut out the Chicago White Sox by the same 1-0 score.
2014 — A huge crowd estimated at 48,000 is on hand for the annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Cooperstown, NY. This year’s class is unusually large and prestigious, featuring three players elected on the first ballot: 300-game winnersGreg Maddux and Tom Glavine and slugger Frank Thomas, a member of the 500 home run club. Joining them are three managers who stand at #3, 4 and 5 on the all-time win list in Tony LaRussa, Bobby Cox and Joe Torre. Maddux, Glavine and Cox all found their greatest success in the great Atlanta Braves teams of the late 1990s.
2015 — Alex Rodriguez became the fourth player in major league history to homer as a teen and in his 40s, marking his birthday by lining an opposite-field shot to right against his former team to help the New York Yankees beat the Texas Rangers 6-2. Ty Cobb, Rusty Staub and Gary Sheffield are the only other players to achieve the feat.
2017 — The Nationals tied a franchise record with eight home runs, including two apiece by Bryce Harper and Ryan Zimmerman, in a 15-2 rout of the Milwaukee Brewers. Washington matched two major league records in a seven-run third inning: Most consecutive home runs (four) and most home runs in an inning (five).
July 30
1917 — Ty Cobb, Bobby Veach and Ossie Vitt, each went 5-for-5 in Detroit’s 16-4 romp over Washington.
1933 — Dizzy Dean struck out 17 Cubs for the St. Louis Cardinals, who beat Chicago 8-2.
1947 — The New York Giants defeated Ewell Blackwell and the Cincinnati Reds 5-4 in 10 innings, ending Blackwell’s 16-game winning streak.
1959 — Willie McCovey had four hits in four at-bats in his major league debut, with the San Francisco Giants. His hits included two triples in a 7-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.
1962 — The American League, led by homers from Leon Wagner, Pete Runnels and Rocky Colavito, powered past the National League 9-4, in the second All-Star Game of the year. Wagner of the Angels was named MVP.
1968 — Washington shortstop Ron Hansen pulled off an unassisted triple play, but the Cleveland Indians still won the game 10-1.
1969 — Houston, behind grand slams by Denis Menke and Jim Wynn, scored 11 runs in the ninth inning to pound the New York Mets 16-3 in a doubleheader opener at Shea Stadium. Mets pitchers Cal Koonce and Ron Taylor gave up the slams, marking the first time this century that two grand slams were hit in the same inning of a National League game.
1973 — Jim Bibby of the Texas Rangers pitched a 6-0 no-hitter against the Oakland A’s.
1980 — Houston Astros pitcher J.R. Richard had a stroke during a workout at the Astrodome and underwent surgery to remove a blood clot behind his right collarbone.
1982 — The Atlanta Braves returned Chief Noc-A-Homa and his teepee to left field after losing 19 of 21 games and blowing a 10½-game lead. The teepee was removed for more seats. The team recovered to regain first place.
1988 — John Franco of the Cincinnati Reds set a major league record with 13 saves in one month. Franco was tied with Sparky Lyle, Bruce Sutter and Bob Stanley.
1990 — George Steinbrenner was forced to resign as general partner of the New York Yankees by Commissioner Fay Vincent.
2008 — Kelly Shoppach of Cleveland tied a major league record with five extra-base hits, including a game-tying homer in the ninth, but Detroit beat the Indians 14-12 in 13 innings. Shoppach had two homers and three doubles.
2009 — A story in the New York Times states that sluggers David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez are among the 104 major leaguers who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003. The test results were supposed to be kept secret, but Alex Rodriguez’s presence on the list of those who tested positive had already been leaked earlier this year. Ortiz states that he was not aware he had tested positive six years earlier and denies using steroids.
2011 — The New York Yankees broke loose for 12 runs in the first inning of the nightcap of a day-night doubleheader, setting a franchise record en route to a 17-3 rout of Baltimore.
2012 — Kendrys Morales homered from both sides of the plate during a nine-run sixth inning, capping the burst with a grand slam that sent the Los Angeles Angels romping past the Texas Rangers 15-8. Morales became the third switch-hitter in major league history to homer as a lefty and righty in the same inning. Carlos Baerga did it for Cleveland in 1993 and Mark Bellhorn of the Chicago Cubs duplicated the feat in 2002.
2017 — Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines and Ivan Rodriguez are inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
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July 31
1930 — Lou Gehrig drove in eight runs with a grand slam and two doubles, and the New York Yankees outlasted the Boston Red Sox 14-13.
1932 — Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium opened and Lefty Grove and the Philadelphia A’s beat the Indians 1-0 before 76,979 fans.
1934 — The St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Cincinnati Reds 8-6 in 18 innings at Cincinnati as Dizzy Dean and Tony Freitas both went the distance.
1954 — Joe Adcock hit four home runs and a double to lead the Milwaukee Braves to a 15-7 victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field. Adcock’s 18 total bases set a major league record at the time. Adcock homered in the second inning off Don Newcombe, doubled in the third and homered in the fifth off Erv Palica. He connected off Pete Wojey in the seventh and off Johnny Podres in the ninth. Adcock saw only seven pitches and his double off the left-center field fence just missed going out by inches.
1961 — The All-Star Game ended in a 1-1 tie at Fenway Park because of heavy rain.
1981 — The second baseball strike ended after 42 days.
1990 — Nolan Ryan, 43, won his 300th game, reaching the milestone in his second try, as the Texas Rangers beat the Milwaukee Brewers 11-3.
2002 — Mike Mussina became the second pitcher in major league history to give up six doubles in one inning, during the New York Yankees’ 17-6 loss to Texas. Hall of Famer Lefty Grove allowed that many with Boston in 1934 against Washington.
2003 — John Smoltz broke his own record as the fastest pitcher to record 40 saves by pitching a scoreless ninth in Atlanta’s 7-4 win over Houston. Last year, he got his 40th save on Aug. 8, en route to breaking the NL record with 55.
2007 — The New York Yankees tied a franchise record by hitting eight home runs, including two by Hideki Matsui, in a 16-3 rout of the Chicago White Sox. New York last hit eight homers in a game in a doubleheader opener at the Philadelphia Athletics on June 28, 1939.
2010 — Carlos Gonzalez hit a game-ending home run to complete the cycle, and Colorado rallied to a 6-5 win after blowing a three-run lead in the eighth inning to the Chicago Cubs.
2011 — Ricky Nolasco scattered 12 hits, Emilio Bonifacio homered and Florida handed the Atlanta Braves the 10,000th loss in franchise history. With the 3-1 loss, the Braves become the second big league team with 10,000 losses. The Phillies reached that mark in 2007.
2015 — New York’s Mark Teixeira homered from both sides of the plate for the record 14th time, hitting his 10th grand slam and a two-run homer that led the Yankees past the Chicago White Sox 13-6.
2021 — Seby Zavala becomes the first player in MLB history to record his first three home runs in the same game.
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Aug. 1
1906 — Harry McIntire of the Brooklyn Dodgers pitched 10 2-3 innings of no-hit ball before Claude Ritchey of Pittsburgh singled. McIntire weakened in the 13th and lost 1-0 to the Pirates on an unearned run, finishing with a four-hitter.
1937 — Lou Gehrig of the New York Yankees hit for the cycle in a 14-5 rout of the St. Louis Browns. It was the second cycle of Gehrig’s career. Gehrig hit a two-run homer in the first inning, doubled in the second, singled in the fourth and tripled in the seventh.
1941 — New York Yankees pitcher Lefty Gomez walked 11 St. Louis batters in a 9-0 victory to set a major league record for walks in a shutout.
1962 — Bill Monbouquette of the Boston Red Sox pitched a no-hitter to beat the White Sox 1-0 at Chicago.
1970 — Willie Stargell of Pittsburgh hit three doubles and two home runs to power the Pirates to a 20-10 rout of the Braves in Atlanta.
1972 — Nate Colbert of the San Diego Padres drove in 13 runs in a doubleheader with five home runs and two singles. San Diego beat the Atlanta Braves in both games, 9-0 and 11-7.
1977 — Willie McCovey of the San Francisco Giants hit two home runs, including his 18th career grand slam, a total that still leads the National League.
1978 — Pete Rose went 0-for-4 against Atlanta pitchers Larry McWilliams and Gene Garber to end his 44-game hitting streak as the Braves defeated the Cincinnati Reds 16-4.
1986 — Bert Blyleven threw a two-hitter and struck out 15 to become the 10th major league pitcher with 3,000 career strikeouts and Kirby Puckett hit for the cycle to lead the Minnesota Twins to a 10-1 victory over the Oakland A’s. Puckett tripled in the first inning, doubled in the fifth, singled in the sixth homered in the eighth. Puckett finished 4 for 5 with three runs and two RBIs. It was the first cycle to happen at the Metrodome.
1994 — Baltimore’s Cal Ripken became the second major leaguer to play 2,000 straight games, and the Orioles edged Minnesota 1-0.
1998 — Switch-hitter Tony Clark set an AL record by homering from both sides of the plate for the third time this year, powering the Detroit Tigers past Tampa Bay 8-0.
2005 — Rafael Palmeiro was suspended 10 days following a positive test for steroids, less than five months after the Baltimore Orioles first baseman emphatically told Congress: “I have never used steroids. Period.”
2006 — Carlos Guillen hit for the cycle in Detroit’s 10-4 victory over Tampa Bay.
2009 — The Oakland A’s retire Rickey Henderson’s uniform number 24.
2017 — Evan Longoria hits for the cycle, becoming the second player in team history to pull off the feat, as the Rays defeat the Astros, 6 – 4. It takes a video review to confirm that he slid safely into second base in the 9th for the missing double that completes the quartet of hits.
TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
July 27
1920 — Resolute defeats Shamrock IV of Britain to defend the America’s Cup title for the United States.
1937 — The United States wins the Davis Cup by beating Britain four matches to one.
1954 — Chick Harbart beats Walter Burkemo 4 and 3 in the final round to win the PGA championship.
1969 — Betsy Rawls wins the LPGA championship by four strokes over Sue Berning and Carol Mann.
1973 — The Miami Dolphins beat the College All-Stars 14-3 in Chicago.
1986 — Greg Lemond becomes the first American to win the Tour de France. LeMond’s teammate, Bernard Hinault of France, finishes second.
1986 — Pat Bradley sinks a 12-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to defeat hard-charging Japanese veteran Ayako Okamoto in the LPGA-du Maurier tournament. Bradley birdied five of the first six holes and finishes at 6-under 66 for a 72-hole total of 276.
1986 — Speedskater Bonnie Blair sets a U.S. Olympic Festival record for total medals won with 16 and total golds with 10 by taking two titles.
1986 — Bobby Hillin Jr. becomes the youngest winner in the history of NASCAR stock car racing, surviving the Talladega 500 at Alabama International Motor Speedway. Hillin, 22, takes the lead from Tim Richmond eight laps from the end of the 188-lap event.
1987 — The Salt Lake Trappers, an independent team in the Pioneer League, have their record 29-game winning streak snapped with a 7-5 loss to Billings.
1992 — Patty Sheehan shoots a 1-over 72 for a two-stroke victory over Juli Inkster in their 18-hole playoff in the U.S. Women’s Open.
1993 — Reggie Lewis, the 27-year-old Boston Celtics star who collapsed during a playoff game on April 29 from a heart ailment, dies after a light workout at the team’s practice facility at Brandeis University.
1996 — Canada’s Donovan Bailey sets the world record to win the 100 meters in 9.84 seconds at the Summer Olympics. The Atlanta Games are later marred by the Centennial Olympic Park bombing that kills Alice Hawthorne, wounds 111 others.
1999 — Tony Hawk is the first skateboarder to land a “900”.
2002 — John Ruiz retains the WBA heavyweight title he won from Evander Holyfield, this time getting off the canvas three times — all after low blows — and lasting long enough for Kirk Johnson to be disqualified.
2005 — Grant Hackett bumps off one of swimmimg’s most enduring world records, eclipsing Ian Thorpe’s mark in the 800-meter freestyle. The 6-foot-6 Hackett claims his second gold and third medal of the World Swimming Championships with a time of 7:38.65, breaking the mark set four years earlier by his countryman Thorpe.
2006 — Floyd Landis’ stunning Tour de France victory just four days earlier is thrown into question when he tests positive for high levels of testosterone during the race.
2008 — Carlos Sastre wins the Tour de France in one of the closest finishes in the 105-year-old race. The third Spaniard in a row to win cycling’s premier event, Sastre holds his 65-second lead over Cadel Evans of Australia. As in the last two years, this year’s Tour is plagued by doping.
2013 — Candace Parker scores a record 23 points to lead the West to a 102-98 win over the East and earn MVP honors in the WNBA All-Star game.
2013 — Hunter Mahan withdraws from the RBC Canadian Open after his wife went into labor. Mahan, the tournament leader at 13 under after 36 holes, had yet to tee off for the third round.
2014 — Italy’s Vincenzo Nibali wins the Tour de France, becoming the first Italian to win cycling’s greatest race in 16 years. Nibali is the sixth rider to win all three Grand Tours — France, Italy and Spain— and is the first Italian to win the Tour de France since Marco Pantani in 1998.
2014 — Martina Hingis leads Washington to its fourth straight World TeamTennis title and fifth in six years, beating Olga Govortsova 5-2 in singles in the Kastles’ 25-13 victory over the Springfield Lasers.
2015 — The Arizona Cardinals hire Jen Welter to coach inside linebackers through their upcoming training camp and preseason. The Cardinals say Welter is believed to be the first woman to hold a coaching position of any kind in the NFL.
2019 — Israel qualifies for their first European Baseball Championship.
2021 — Four-time Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles withdraws from the women’s team final at the Tokyo Games citing needs to focus on her mental health.
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July 28
1913 — The United States wins its first Davis Cup since 1902 by beating Britain three matches to two.
1928 — The Summer Olympics open in Amsterdam and the Olympic flame is lit for the first time.
1929 — The Chicago Cardinals become the first NFL team to train out of state, holding camp in Michigan.
1972 — The American Basketball Association announces that San Diego will receive a franchise and the NBA’s Buffalo Braves relocate to San Diego and are renamed the San Diego Clippers.
1972 — The Dallas Cowboys beat the College All-Stars in Chicago 20-7.
1984 — The Summer Olympics open in Los Angeles with a record 140 nations competing. The Soviet Union and 13 Communist allies, including Cuba and East Germany, boycott the games.
1987 — Laura Davies shoots a 1-under 71 to defeat Ayako Okamoto and JoAnne Carner in an 18-hole playoff to win the U.S. Women’s Open.
1987 — Angel Cordero Jr. becomes the fourth U.S. jockey to win 6,000 races when he rides Lost Kitty to victory at Monmouth Park, N.J.
1991 — Dennis Martinez pitches a perfect game for the Montreal Expos, who beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-0.
1992 — American Mike Barrowman sets a world record in winning the 200-meter breaststroke, and Russian Evgueni Sadovyi becomes the Summer Olympics’ first triple gold medalist, also smashing a world record in the men’s 400-meter freestyle.
1994 — On the night baseball players set an Aug. 12 strike date, Kenny Rogers of the Texas Rangers pitches a perfect game for a 4-0 victory over California.
2000 — Blaine Wilson, America’s pre-eminent gymnast, wins his fifth straight championship in St. Louis. He becomes the first gymnast to win five straight national titles since George Wheeler did it from 1937-41.
2009 — Germany’s Paul Biedermann hands Michael Phelps his first major individual loss in four years, setting a world record in the 200-meter freestyle at the world championships in Rome. Phelps, a body length behind, loses for the first time in a major international meet since Ian Crocker beat him in the 100 butterfly final at the 2005 worlds.
2011 — Ryan Lochte celebrates the first world record set since high-tech bodysuits were banned 1 1/2 years ago. Lochte edges Michael Phelps in 200-meter individual medley at the world championships at Shanghai.
2013 — Brek Shea scores less than a minute after entering the game as a second-half substitute, giving the United States a 1-0 victory over Panama in the Gold Cup final. It’s the fifth Gold Cup title for the Americans but their first since 2007.
2016 — Mirim Lee shoots a 10-under 62 to match the Women’s British Open record and take a three-stroke lead in the major championship at tree-lined Woburn (England) Golf Club.
2016 — Stephan Jaeger shoots a 12-under 58 in the Web.com Tour’s Ellie Mae Classic in Hayward, Calif., for the lowest score in major tour play. The German finishes with a 10-foot birdie putt.
2019 — 22-year-old Egan Bernal becomes the first Colombian and Latin American cyclist to win the Tour de France.
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July 29
1751 — The first International World Title Prize Fight takes place in Harlston, England. The champion, Jack Slack of England, beats the challenger, M. Petit of France, in 25 minutes.
1934 — Paul Runyan beats Craig Wood on the 38th hole to win the PGA Championship at Park Country Club in Williamsville, N.Y.
1956 — Cathy Cornelius wins a playoff over Barbara McIntyre to win the U.S. Women’s Open.
1957 — At the Polo Grounds in New York, Floyd Patterson TKOs Tommy Jackson at 1:52 of the 10th round to retain the heavyweight title.
1960 — The first American Football League preseason game is played in Buffalo, N.Y. The Boston Patriots, led by quarterback Butch Songin, beat the Bills 28-7 before 16,474 fans at War Memorial Stadium .
1979 — Amy Alcott shoots a 7-under 285 to beat Nancy Lopez in the Peter Jackson Classic, later named The du Maurier Classic. The du Maurier is one of the LPGA Tour’s major championships from 1979-2000.
1986 — The U.S. Football League wins and loses in its lawsuit against the NFL. The jury finds the NFL violated antitrust laws, as the USFL claimed, but awards the USFL only $1 in damages.
1989 — Cuba’s Javier Sotomayor becomes the first person to high jump 8 feet, breaking his world record at the Caribbean Championship in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He surpasses his mark of 7-11½.
1990 — Beth Daniel shoots a 66 to overcome a 5-shot deficit and win the LPGA Championship — her first major title in 12 years on the tour. Daniel beats Rosie Jones by one stroke and pockets $150,000, the largest in LPGA Tour history.
1992 — The U.S. 400-meter freestyle relay team wins the gold medal, with Matt Biondi and Tom Jager becoming the first U.S. male swimmers to win golds in three Olympics.
1996 — Michael Johnson sweeps to victory in an Olympic 400-meter record 43.49 seconds, while Carl Lewis leaps into history in Atlanta. Lewis’ long jump of 27 feet, 10¾ inches earns him his ninth gold medal, equaling the American mark held by swimmer Mark Spitz.
2001 — Copa América Final, Estadio El Campín, Bogotá: Defender Iván Córdoba scores winner as home team Columbia edge Mexico, 1-0.
2008 — Disgraced ex-NBA official Tim Donaghy admits he brought shame on his profession as a federal judge sentenced him to 15 months behind bars for a gambling scandal.
2012 — Kimberly Rhode wins the Olympic gold medal in women’s skeet shooting, becoming the first American to take an individual-sport medal in five consecutive Olympics.
2012 — Dana Vollmer of the U.S. sets a world record to win the 100-meter butterfly at the London Olympics. Vollmer hits the wall in 55.98 seconds to shave 0.08 off the mark set by Sarah Sjostrom of Sweden at the 2009 world championships in Rome.
2015 — Russia’s Natalya Ishchenko wins a record 18th career synchronized swimming gold medal at the world championships at Kazan, Russia.
2021 — Sunisa Lee wins the women’s all-around gymnastics gold medal in Tokyo.
July 30
1870 — Monmouth Park opens with a five-day meet.
1930 — Host Uruguay beats Argentina 4-2 for soccer’s first World Cup in Montevideo.
1932 — The 10th modern Olympic Games open in Los Angeles.
1961 — Jerry Barber edges Don January by one stroke in a playoff to win the PGA title at Olympia Fields in Illinois.
1966 — England beats West Germany 4-2 at London’s Wembley Stadium to capture soccer’s World Cup.
1968 — Washington’s Ron Hansen pulls off an unassisted triple play in a 10-1 loss to the Cleveland Indians.
1971 — In the NFL Chicago All-Star Game, the Baltimore Colts beat the All-Stars 24-17.
1976 — Bruce Jenner sets the world record in the Olympic decathlon with 8,618 points, breaking Nikolai Avilov’s mark by 164 points.
1980 — Houston pitcher J.R. Richard suffers a stroke during a workout at the Astrodome.
1984 — Michael Gross of West Germany sets a world record in the 200-meter freestyle with a time of 1:47.44 at a meet in Munich.
1996 — The American softball team wins the gold medal, beating China 3-1 behind a controversial two-run homer from Dot Richardson in the first Olympic competition in that sport.
2009 — Seven more world records on the fifth night of the world swimming championships in Rome are set, pushing the total to 29 and moving past last summer’s Beijing Olympics. Ryan Lochte gets things rolling by breaking Phelps’ mark in the 200-meter individual medley. The Chinese women finish it off, eclipsing the 800 freestyle relay mark by more than two seconds, with the Americans also breaking the previous record but only getting silver.
2012 — In London, Missy Franklin, a 17-year-old from Colorado, wins the women’s 100-meter backstroke. Franklin has a brief 13-minute break after taking the final qualifying spot in the 200 freestyle semifinals before she had to get back into the water for the backstroke final. Ruta Meilutyte, 15, becomes the first Lithuanian to win an Olympic swimming medal by holding off a late charge from world champion Rebecca Soni of the U.S. in the 100 breaststroke.
2013 — Katie Ledecky crushes the world record in the 1,500 freestyle for her second gold medal at the world swimming championships in Barcelona, Spain. The 16-year-old American finishes with a time of 15:36.53 to beat the previous mark by more than 6 seconds — Kate Ziegler’s 15:42.54 in 2007.
2015 — North Korea wins its first gold medal at the world aquatics championships through 16-year-old Kim Kuk Hyang in women’s 10-meter diving. In her first international competition, Kim produces a stunning final dive, earning two perfect 10 scores from the seven judges, for a total of 397.05 points. On the next dive, the leader up to that point, world champion Si Yajie of China, makes an error to drop to fourth.
2021 — South African swimmer Tatjana Shoemaker sets a new women’s 200m breaststroke world record of 2:18.95 at the Tokyo Olympics.
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July 31
1932 — France beats the U.S. 3-2 for its sixth consecutive Davis Cup championship.
1934 — Britain, led by Fred Perry and Bunny Austin, defeats the U.S. 4-1 at Wimbledon to win the Davis Cup title.
1942 — Jockey Bill Turnbull wins seven of nine races at Rockingham Park in Salem, N.H.
1954 — Joe Adcock hits four homers and a double to lift the Milwaukee Braves a 15-7 victory over Brooklyn.
1963 — The Cleveland Indians become the first American League club to hit four straight home runs. No. 8 hitter Woody Held hits a two-out homer off Paul Foytack and pitcher Pedro Ramos follows with his second homer of the game before Tito Francona and Larry Brown’s first major league homer finish this odd power surge. Foytack is the only major league pitcher to give up four straight home runs.
1973 — Julius Erving, the American Basketball Association’s leading scorer, is traded by the cash-strapped Virginia Squires to the New York Nets for forward George Carter and cash.
1983 — Jan Stephenson beats JoAnne Carner and Patty Sheehan by one stroke to win the U.S. Women’s Open.
1990 — Nolan Ryan wins his 300th game, reaching the milestone in his second try, as the Texas Rangers beat the Milwaukee Brewers 11-3.
1993 — Mike Aulby becomes the third player in PBA history to win a tournament by rolling a 300 game in the title game. Aulby beats David Ozio 300-279 in the Wichita Open.
1994 — Sergei Bubka sets a world pole vault record for the 35th time in his career at a meet in Sestriere, Italy. Bubka soars 20 feet, 1¾ inches, adding a half-inch to his mark set in Tokyo in 1992.
2000 — Dorothy Delasin becomes the LPGA’s youngest winner in 25 years by beating Pat Hurst on the second extra hole to win the Giant Eagle LPGA Classic. The 19-year-old Delasin is the youngest winner on the tour since Amy Alcott took the Orange Blossom Classic at age 19 in 1975.
2005 — Grant Hackett becomes the first swimmer to win four straight world titles in the same event, capturing another 1,500-meter freestyle. The Aussie stretches out his own record for world championship medals to 17.
2007 — All-Star Kevin Garnett is traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves to Boston for five players and two draft picks. The Celtics obtain the former MVP and 10-time All-Star from Minnesota for forwards Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes and Gerald Green, guard Sebastian Telfair and center Theo Ratliff and two first-round draft picks.
2011 — Yani Tseng wins the Women’s British Open for the second straight year, beating Brittany Lang by four strokes and becoming the youngest woman to capture a fifth major title. The 22-year-old top-ranked Taiwanese shot a 3-under 69 to finish at 16-under 272.
2012 — Michael Phelps breaks the Olympic medals record with his 19th, helping the U.S. romp to a 4×200-meter freestyle relay victory at the London Games. With 19 medals spanning three Olympics, Phelps moves one ahead of Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina, who got her haul in 1956, 1960 and 1964.
2012 — The team of Gabrielle Douglas, McKayla Maroney, Alexandra Raisman, Kyla Ross and Jordyn Wieber lives up to all the hype, winning the first U.S. Olympic title in women’s gymnastics since 1996.
2021 — Katie Ledecky wins the women’s 800m gold in Tokyo. This is the third consecutive Olympics she has won the race.
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Aug. 1
1936 — The Berlin Olympics begin.
1945 — New York’s Mel Ott hits his 500th home run in a 9-2 victory over the Boston Braves at the Polo Grounds. Only Babe Ruth with 714 and Jimmie Foxx with 527 have more.
1963 — Arthur Ashe becomes first African-American tennis player to be named in the US Davis Cup team.
1972 — Nate Colbert of the San Diego Padres drives in 13 runs in a doubleheader sweep of the Atlanta Braves, 9-0 and 11-7.
1982 — American Greg Louganis becomes 1st diver to score 700 (752.67) in 11 dives in winning 3m springboard gold, World Championships in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
1987 — Mike Tyson wins the undisputed heavyweight championship with a 12-round unanimous decision over IBF champion Tony Tucker in Las Vegas.
1992 — Eric Griffin, a two-time world champion at 106 pounds, loses to Rafael Lozano of Spain under the new electronic scoring system at the Olympics. All five judges credit him with more blows than his opponent as did five jury members used as a backup in case the computer failed.
1994 — Baltimore’s Cal Ripken becomes the second major leaguer to play 2,000 straight games when the Orioles beat Minnesota 1-0.
1996 — Michael Johnson wins Olympic gold in the 200 meters in a record 19.32 seconds, becoming the first male Olympian to win the 200 and 400 in a single games. Dan O’Brien wins gold in the decathlon, four years after failing to make the U.S. Olympic team.
2002 — In signing star linebacker Ray Lewis to a 5-year contract extension the Baltimore Ravens give him a $19m signing bonus, then the largest in NFL history.
2004 — Karen Stupples wins her first major title with a record-tying 19-under 269 at the Women’s British Open. Stupples ties the low score in a major, set by Dottie Pepper at the 1999 Nabisco Dinah Shore.
2009 — Rachel Alexandra rolls past the boys again to win the $1.25 million Haskell Ivitational at Monmouth Park, establishing herself as one of the greatest fillies. Ridden by Calvin Borel, she beats Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird by six lengths.
2010 — Stuart Appleby hits golf’s magic number, shooting a 59 to win the Greenbrier Classic. He is the fifth PGA Tour player to reach the milestone.
2010 — Yani Tseng of Taiwan wins the Women’s British Open by one stroke for her third major title and second of the year to go with the Kraft Nabisco.
2010 — Bob and Mike Bryan win their record 62nd career doubles title on the ATP Tour. The twins were tied with Hall of Famers Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde of Australia.
2012 — Four teams are kicked out of the women’s badminton doubles at the London Games for trying to lose on purpose. The eight players from China, South Korea and Indonesia are cited for conduct “clearly abusive or detrimental to the sport.”
2021 — Marcel Jacobs becomes the first Italian athlete to win the 100m dash in 9.80 at the Tokyo Olympics.
TV SPORTS SATURDAY
| OLYMPICS | TIME ET | TV |
| Badminton | 2:30am | Peacock |
| Rowing | 3:00am | USA Peacock |
| Men’s Handball: Spain vs Slovenia | 3:00am | Peacock |
| Men’s Volleyball: Japan vs Germany | 3:00am | Peacock |
| Equestrian | 3:30am | USA Peacock |
| Fencing | 4:00am | Peacock |
| Men’s Field Hockey: Britain vs Spain | 4:00am | Peacock |
| Badminton | 4:30am | USA Peacock |
| Men’s Field Hockey: Belguim vs Ireland | 4:30am | Peacock |
| Shooting | 4:30am | Peacock |
| Swimming | 5:00am | USA Peacock |
| Shooting | 5:00am | CNBC Peacock |
| Women’s Diving | 5:00am | Peacock |
| Men’s Gymnastics | 5:00am | Peacock |
| Men’s Handball: Hungary vs Egypt | 5:00am | Peacock |
| Men’s Basketball: Australia vs Spain | 5:30am | CNBC Peacock |
| Skateboarding | 6:00am | Peacock |
| Tennis | 6:00am | Peacock |
| Skateboarding | 6:45am | CNBC Peacock |
| Men’s Field Hockey: Netherlands vs South Africa | 6:45am | Peacock |
| Men’s Volleyball: Itlay vs Brazil | 7:00am | Peacock |
| Rowing | 7:15am | USA Peacock |
| Men’s Field Hockey: Australia vs Argentina | 7:15am | Peacock |
| Badminton | 7:30am | E! Peacock |
| Swimming | 7:30am | NBC Peacock |
| Men’s Volleyball: Italy vs Brazil | 7:45am | USA Peacock |
| Women’s Water Polo: Netherlands vs Hungary | 8:00am | E! Peacock |
| Men’s Beach Volleybal: United States vs Cuba | 8:00am | NBC Peacock |
| Badminton | 9:00am | USA Peacock |
| Cycling | 9:00am | NBC Peacock |
| Men’s Gymnastics | 9:30am | E! Peacock |
| Women’s Water Polo: USA vs Greece | 9:35am | USA Peacock |
| Men’s Rugby | 9:35am | CNBC Peacock |
| Men’s Rugby | 10:00am | NBC Peacock |
| Swimming | 10:30am | NBC Peacock |
| Cycling | 10:45am | USA Peacock |
| Men’s Gymnastics | 11:00am | NBC Peacock |
| Men’s Basketball: France vs Brazil | 11:15am | CNBC Peacock |
| Skateboarding | 11:30am | NBC Peacock |
| Women’s Canoeing | 12:00pm | E! Peacock |
| Surfing | 1:00pm | Peacock |
| Men’s Soccer: USA vs New Zealand | 1:00pm | USA Peacock |
| Men’s Rugby | 1:00pm | CNBC Peacock |
| Men’s Rugby | 1:45pm | NBC Peacock |
| Women’s Field Hockey: USA vs Argentina | 1:45pm | CNBC Peacock |
| Men’s Gymnastics | 2:00pm | E! Peacock |
| Women’s Wwater Polo: Australia vs China | 2:05pm | Peacock |
| Women’s Field Hockey: Netherlands vs France | 2:15pm | Peacock |
| Men’s Swimming | 2:30pm | NBC Peacock |
| Men’s Volleyball: USA vs Argentina | 3:00pm | USA Peacock |
| Men’s Soccer: France vs Guinea | 3:00pm | Telemundo Peacock |
| Men’s Soccer: Japan vs Mali | 3:00pm | Peacock |
| Men’s Tennis | 3:00pm | Peacock |
| Men’s Handball: Denmark vs France | 3:00pm | Peacock |
| Men’s Basketball: Greece vs Canada | 3:15pm | CNBC Peacock |
| MLB REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| Rangers at Blue Jays | 3:07pm | Bally Sports Southwest Sportsnet1 |
| Padres at Orioles | 4:05pm | FS1 MASN Padres.TV |
| Braves at Mets | 4:10pm | Bally Sports Southeast SNY |
| Guardians at Phillies | 6:05pm | Bally Sports Great Lakes NBC Sports Philadelphia |
| Twins at Tigers | 6:10pm | Bally Sports North Bally Sports Detroit |
| Rockies at Giants | 7:05pm | Rockies.TV NBC Sports Bay |
| Cubs at Royals | 7:10pm | MARQ Bally Sports Kansas City |
| Dodgers at Astros | 7:10pm | SNLA SCHN |
| Marlins at Brewers | 7:10pm | Bally Sports Florida Bally Sports Wisconsin |
| Mariners at White Sox | 7:15pm | FOX |
| Yankees at Red Sox | 7:15pm | FOX |
| Nationals at Cardinals | 7:15pm | MASN2 Bally Sports Midwest |
| Pirates at Diamondbacks | 8:10pm | MLBN YurView ATTSN-PIT |
| Athletics at Angels | 9:38pm | MLBN NBC Sports Califorina Bally Sports West |
| MOTORSPORTS | TIME ET | TV |
| ARCA Menards Series | 8:00pm | FS1 |
| NHRA: Sonoma Nationals | 6:00pm | FOX |
| GOLF | TIME ET | TV |
| Senior Open Championship | 7:30am | GOLF |
| PGA Tour: 3M Open | 1:00pm | GOLF |
| PGA Tour: 3M Open | 3:00pm | CBS |
| LPGA Tour: Canadien Open | 6:00pm | GOLF |
| SOCCER | TIME ET | TV |
| Friendly: Vissel Kobe vs Tottenham Hotspur | 6:00am | Paramount+ |
| Friendly: Union Berlin vs Rangers | 11:00am | ESPN Deportes Fubo |
| Friendly: PSV vs Valencia | 12:00pm | Paramount+ |
| Friendly: Levante vs Deportivo Alavés | 1:30pm | ESPN Deportes Fubo |
| Friendly: Wolverhampton Wanderers vs West Ham United | 2:00pm | Fanatiz beIN Sports |
| Belgium Pro League: Anderlecht vs Sint-Truiden | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Primera División: Independiente Rivadavia vs Independiente | 2:00pm | Paramount+ |
| Friendly: Chelsea vs Celtic | 4:00pm | ESPN+ Fubo |
| Primera División: San Lorenzo vs Newell’s Old Boys | 4:00pm | Paramount+ |
| Friendly: Manchester City vs Milan | 6:00pm | ESPN ESPN+ Fubo |
| Primera División: Rosario Central vs Huracán | 6:00pm | Paramount+ |
| Canadian Premier League: Forge vs HFX Wanderers | 7:00pm | FS2 Fubo |
| NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup: Kansas City Current vs Pachuca | 7:00pm | Paramount+ |
| NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup: Orlando Pride vs Monterrey | 7:00pm | Paramount+ |
| USL Championship: Pittsburgh Riverhounds vs Loudoun United | 7:00pm | Paramount+ Fubo |
| CONCACAF U20 Championship: Guatemala U20 vs Haiti U20 | 7:00pm | FOX Soccer Plus VIX Fubo |
| USL Championship: Rhode Island vs North Carolina | 7:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Leagues Cup: Houston Dynamo vs Atlas | 8:00pm | MLS Season Pass |
| Leagues Cup: Philadelphia Union vs Charlotte | 8:00pm | MLS Season Pass |
| Leagues Cup: New England vs Mazatlán | 8:00pm | MLS Season Pass |
| Leagues Cup: New York RB vs Toronto FC | 8:00pm | MLS Season Pass |
| Leagues Cup: Puebla vs Inter Miami | 8:00pm | MLS Season Pass |
| Friendly: Arsenal vs Manchester United | 8:00pm | ESPN ESPN+ Fubo |
| Leagues Cup: St. Louis City vs Dallas | 9:00pm | MLS Season Pass |
| Leagues Cup: Guadalajara vs SJ Earthquakes | 10:00pm | FS1 Fubo MLS Season Pass |
| NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup: Utah Royals vs Portland Thorns | 10:00pm | CBSSN Paramount+ Fubo |
| CONCACAF U20 Championship: Mexico U20 vs Panama U20 | 10:00pm | VIX |
| MMA | TIME ET | TV |
| UFC: Lemos vs. Jandiroba | 5:00pm | ESPN/2 |
| TENNIS | TIME ET | TV |
| Atlanta-ATP Semifinal 1 & Umag-ATP Final | 2:00pm | TENNIS |