“THE SCOREBOARD”
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SCORES
BOSTON 8 MIAMI 3
ST. LOUIS 7 PITTSBURGH 4
CLEVELAND 7 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 6
NY METS 7 WASHINGTON 2
CINCINNATI 5 NY YANKEES 4
TORONTO 7 HOUSTON 6
SAN FRANCISCO 5 ATLANTA 3
MINNESOTA 5 DETROIT 3
PHILADELPHIA 6 CHICAGO CUBS 4
TEXAS 7 SAN DIEGO 0
TAMPA BAY 5 KANSAS CITY 1
MILWAUKEE 4 COLORADO 3
OAKLAND 7 LA ANGELS 5
BALTIMORE 2 SEATTLE 0
LA DODGERS 6 ARIZONA 5
MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SCORES
INDIANAPOLIS 8 LOUISVILLE 2
FORT WAYNE 5 LANSING 0
PEORIA 7 SOUTH BEND 0
WNBA SCORES
LAS VEGAS 88 INDIANA 69
NEW YORK 76 MINNESOTA 67
CHICAGO 85 ATLANTA 77
WASHINGTON 82 LOS ANGELES 80
MLS
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
TOP NATIONAL SPORTS HEADLINES
REPORT: CAVS, MITCHELL AGREE TO 3-YEAR, $150.3M MAX EXTENSION
The Cleveland Cavaliers agreed to a three-year maximum contract with guard Donovan Mitchell worth $150.3 million, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Mitchell’s new deal overwrites the $37-million player option he held for 2025-26. It will run through the 2027-28 season, with another player option in the last year.
The three-year deal will bring Mitchell to 10 years of service by 2027-28. He’d then be eligible to sign a contract that would pay him up to 35% of the cap in Year 1.
Without a long-term agreement, Mitchell likely would have entered unrestricted free agency next summer, which may have compelled the organization to explore an offseason trade to avoid the risk of losing the five-time All-Star for nothing. However, Mitchell reportedly felt confident about the front office’s plan to continue elevating the club into a legitimate title contender.
Mitchell was the Cavaliers’ top scorer last season at 26.6 points per game, a considerable gap from Darius Garland (18 points) in second. He also averaged 6.1 assists and was the squad’s third-best rebounder with 5.1 boards per contest. In 2022-23, his first year in Cleveland following an offseason trade from the Utah Jazz, the Louisville product averaged a career-high 28.3 points.
A bone bruise in Mitchell’s left knee limited him to 11 regular-season appearances following the All-Star break. He appeared to be in good health for the start of the Cavaliers’ postseason run, scoring 30 points in their playoff opener against the Orlando Magic and averaging 28.7 points in the seven-game first-round series. However, he missed Cleveland’s final two contests in their subsequent series against the Boston Celtics due to a calf issue as the Cavs fell in five games.
REPORT: LAKERS SIGN BRONNY JAMES TO GUARANTEED DEAL
The Los Angeles Lakers are signing No. 55 pick Bronny James to a multi-year guaranteed contract, sources told The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
James was selected near the end of the second round of last week’s NBA draft and is slated to team up with his father, LeBron James, who’s widely expected to re-sign with the Lakers after opting out of his deal ahead of free agency.
Unlike first-round picks, who are designated a four-year deal based on when they are selected, second-rounders are free to sign any type of contract.
In the 2023 NBA Draft, 15 players signed guaranteed deals, three were stashed overseas or in the G League, and 10 inked non-guaranteed two-way contracts. Only three players drafted after pick No. 44 signed guaranteed deals.
James played largely a reserve role in his one season at USC as he recovered from an offseason heart issue. He averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 19.3 minutes per game.
REPORT: MAGIC RE-SIGNING C MOE WAGNER TO TWO-YEAR CONTRACT
The Orlando Magic are bringing back center Moe Wagner on a two-year, $22 million contract, ESPN reported Tuesday.
The Magic had declined Wagner’s $8 million team option, making him a free agent this weekend. Both sides, however, were interested in a longer-term deal, ESPN reported. Wagner, 27, has been teammates for three seasons in Orlando with his 22-year-old brother, forward Franz Wagner.
Moe Wagner played in 80 games with one start last season and averaged 10.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 17.7 minutes.
In six seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers (2018-19), Washington Wizards (2019-21), Boston Celtics (2021) and Magic (2021-present), Wagner is averaging 8.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 333 games (56 starts).
The Lakers selected him with the 25th overall pick of the 2018 NBA Draft out of Michigan.
4-TIME NBA ALL-STAR KEMBA WALKER RETIRES
Four-time NBA All-Star point guard Kemba Walker announced his retirement on Tuesday, thanking basketball for the “amazing journey.”
Walker was selected Most Outstanding Player of the 2011 NCAA Tournament won by UConn in 2011, months before Charlotte selected him with the No. 9 overall pick of the NBA draft.
He played eight seasons in Charlotte before signing a four-year, $141 million contract in July 2019 as part of a sign-and-trade deal with the Boston Celtics.
After two seasons with the Celtics, he bounced around the NBA, traded and released twice, and finishing his career with short stints with the New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks.
Walker, 34, played overseas in Monaco in the 2023-24 season and ends his NBA career with averages of 19.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 33.1 minutes in 750 games (697 starts). He made four straight All-Star Games from 2017-20, and was All-NBA third team for the 2018-19 season.
“Basketball has done more for me than I could’ve ever imagined, and I am super thankful for the amazing journey I’ve had,” the 6-foot guard posted to social media.
“This has all been a dream,” continued Walker, who twice won the Joe Dumars Trophy for sportsmanship. “When I look back, I still can’t believe the things I achieved in my career. … Basketball will forever be a part of my life so this isn’t goodbye. I’m excited for what’s next.”
REPORT: WARRIORS, 76ERS IN HIELD SIGN-AND-TRADE TALKS
The Golden State Warriors are working with the Philadelphia 76ers to finalize a sign-and-trade for veteran wing Buddy Hield, sources told The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
The Warriors are looking to replace some perimeter shooting after four-time NBA champion Klay Thompson left the organization after 13 seasons Monday. Thompson reportedly inked a three-year, $50-million deal with the Dallas Mavericks as part of a three-team sign-and-trade agreement.
Hield is widely viewed as one of the NBA’s top threats from behind the arc and shot 38.6% from deep in 84 regular-season outings with the Indiana Pacers and 76ers in 2023-24. The Oklahoma product was traded to Philadelphia in February in a three-team deal that also included the San Antonio Spurs.
The 31-year-old has shot 40% from three across eight seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings, Pacers and 76ers.
Hield was one of over a half-dozen Sixers who entered the offseason facing free agency. The organization was active on Monday, reportedly signing Paul George to a four-year, $212-million deal. Philadelphia also reportedly re-signed All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey to a five-year, $204-million max extension and guard Kelly Oubre Jr. to a two-year, $18.5-million pact.
The Warriors, meanwhile, reportedly added forward Kyle Anderson on a three-year, $27-million contract via a sign-and-trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves earlier Tuesday. They also reached a one-year, $12.8-million agreement with former 76ers guard De’Anthony Melton Monday.
Hield scored 24 points Tuesday as the Bahamas topped Finland 96-85 in the first game of the Olympic men’s basketball qualifying tournament in Valencia, Spain.
WNBA NEWS
CLARK, REESE HEADLINE WNBA ALL-STARS TO FACE TEAM USA
NEW YORK (AP) — Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese will team up on the WNBA All-Star team to play against the U.S. Olympic team led by A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart.
The pair of remarkable rookies were selected Tuesday by a combination of votes from the media, players and fans as well as the league’s 12 coaches to play in the game in Phoenix on July 20. It’s the 20th All-Star Game in the league’s history.
Clark was the leading vote-getter from the fans, receiving 700,735 with her Indiana teammate Aliyah Boston finishing second 72,000 votes behind. Reese was fifth with 381,518 votes. Wilson and Stewart were third and fourth. Wilson garnered 607,300 votes and Stewart had 424,135.
Clark and Reese have been a boon for the WNBA in ratings, merchandise sales and attendance. They are also playing well on the court with Clark third in assists with 6.9 and Reese leading the WNBA in rebounds at 11.4. It’s only the eighth time that two rookies have been on the team. The last was Shoni Schimmel and Chiney Ogwumike in 2014.
Joining the rookies on the WNBA team were DeWanna Bonner and Brionna Jones of Connecticut, Allisha Gray of Atlanta, Dearica Hamby of Los Angeles, Jonquel Jones of New York, Kayla McBride of Minnesota, Kelsey Mitchell of Indiana, Nneka Ogwumike of Seattle and Arike Ogunbowale of Dallas.
Ogunbowale was the MVP of the 2021 All-Star game which featured the same format of the U.S. team playing a league All-Star team. The WNBA team won that game.
The U.S. team, which will be going for an eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal in Paris later this month, also features Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi. The pair of Phoenix players will get a chance to play in front of their home crowd in the exhibition game. Taurasi will be vying for a record sixth Olympic gold medal.
Three of Wilson’s Las Vegas teammates — Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young — are on the U.S. team. Gray was on the Tokyo Olympic squad while Plum and Young both helped the Americans win the inaugural 3-on-3 gold medal.
Other returners from the Tokyo Games include Napheesa Collier and Jewell Loyd. Several first-time Olympians will join the team with Alyssa Thomas, Sabrina Ionescu and Kahleah Copper. All three played on the American team that won the World Cup in Australia in 2022.
Every player chosen for either the U.S. team or the WNBA squad is considered an All-Star making this Taurasi’s 11th time in the game. She’s now alone in second behind Sue Bird for most all time. Bird was a 13-time All-Star.
The league will have a 3-point challenge and skill contest the night before the All-Star game.
MYSTICS USE BIG 4TH QUARTER TO RALLY PAST SPARKS
Shatori Walker-Kimbrough scored 17 points and Myisha Hines-Allen added 16 to help the Washington Mystics rally for an 82-80 road victory over the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday night.
Julie Vanloo scored 15 points on five 3-pointers, Ariel Atkins had 12 points and Stefanie Dolson contributed 10 points and eight rebounds for the Mystics (5-15).
Stephanie Talbot had 17 points, eight rebounds and three steals and Aari McDonald registered 17 points and six assists for Los Angeles (4-15), which dropped its eighth consecutive game. Dearica Hamby added 16 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists for her 12th double-double of the campaign.
Washington shot 47.8 percent, including 12 of 26 from 3-point range, while snapping a two-game slide.
Rickea Jackson added 12 points for the Sparks, who made 46.7 percent of their attempts and were 13 of 30 from behind the arc.
The Mystics trailed 64-52 after three quarters before dominating the final 10 minutes.
Hamby scored the first basket of the fourth quarter to give the Sparks a game-best 14-point lead before the Mystics outscored Los Angeles 30-11 over the next nine-plus minutes.
Washington countered with 14 straight points to knot the score at 66. Jade Melbourne made two free throws with 6:54 remaining — her team’s first attempts from the line — to bring the Mystics within two and added a layup with 5:44 left.
Washington finally moved ahead for the first time since the opening minutes of the game as Walker-Kimbrough drained a 3-pointer to give the Mystics a 75-74 lead with 2:55 remaining.
Nia Nurse connected on a 3-pointer 18 seconds later to put the Sparks back ahead. Then Atkins answered with a basket to tie it at 77 with 2:24 to go.
Dolson converted a three-point play with 1:18 left to give Washington an 80-77 lead.
Los Angeles later sabotaged itself with two turnovers with under 20 seconds left– one on a steal by Walker-Kimbrough, the other an illegal screen foul called on Talbot — as the Mystics closed it out.
Talbot scored 12 first-half points as Los Angeles led 43-38 at the break. Hines-Allen had 10 points in the half for the Mystics.
The Sparks scored the first eight points of the third quarter to take a 13-point advantage. Washington was within six later in the period before Los Angeles increased the lead to 12 entering the final stanza.
KELSEY PLUM, ACES DOWN FEVER FOR FIFTH STRAIGHT WIN
Kelsey Plum scored 12 of her season-high 34 points in the fourth quarter as the Las Vegas Aces rode a dominant final period to their fifth consecutive win, an 88-69 defeat of the visiting Indiana Fever on Tuesday.
Las Vegas (11-6) led most of the night, but an Indiana side playing the finale of a five-game road swing stayed within a single-digit margin of the reigning WNBA champion Aces for the better part of three quarters.
That changed in the fourth when Plum set the tone, knocking down one of her six made 3-pointers on 11 attempts for the game just 15 seconds in the quarter. Plum scored the first eight points of the period, and Las Vegas went on an overall run of 12-0 that lasted more than four minutes.
The burst pushed a six-point lead to 18, and the Fever (8-13) never recovered. Indiana finished 2-3 on its trip.
The WNBA’s leading scorer, A’ja Wilson, added 28 points and nine rebounds for the Aces. Wilson also limited the Fever’s interior scoring opportunities with five blocked shots.
Las Vegas’ Jackie Young recorded 15 points and 10 assists, and Kiah Stokes grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds.
NaLyssa Smith snared a game-high 14 rebounds for Indiana but scored only five points on 2-of-7 shooting from the floor. The Fever struggled to 36.4 percent field-goal shooting to the Aces’ 45.1 percent, and Indiana went 6-for-26 (23.1 percent) from beyond the 3-point arc to Las Vegas’ 9-for-25 (36 percent).
Kelsey Mitchell accounted for all but one of Indiana’s made 3-point attempts, going 5-for-10 en route to a team-high 23 points.
Fever rookie Caitlin Clark shot just 1-for-7 from long range and 4-for-12 overall. Her 13-point, 11-assist effort marked her third double-double in the past four games, however.
Aliyah Boston added 18 points and 11 rebounds in the loss.
CHENNEDY CARTER, SKY PULL AWAY FOR WIN OVER DREAM
Chennedy Carter scored six of her game-high 26 points in the final 1:32 and Angel Reese produced 12 points and 19 rebounds to lift the Chicago Sky to an 85-77 win against the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday in College Park, Ga.
Chicago (7-11) stopped a two-game losing streak while sending the Dream (7-11) to their fifth loss in six games.
The Sky outscored the Dream 19-13 in the final quarter and overcame a three-point deficit in the last three minutes.
Reese notched a double-double for the 11th consecutive game to extend her WNBA record. The rebound total was a career high for the 22-year-old rookie.
Tina Charles had 19 points and 14 rebounds for the Dream. Allisha Gray added 14 points, and Jordin Canada and Cheyenne Parker-Tyus scored 11 apiece. Canada dished a game-high seven assists.
Dana Evans chipped in 14 points for the Sky.
The Sky grabbed a 66-64 lead on Marina Mabrey’s driving layup in the closing seconds of the third quarter but were sluggish to start the fourth. Reese swished a pair of free throws to give Chicago a 68-66 lead with 7:56 left, but the visitors didn’t get their first field goal of the quarter until Carter made a layup with 5:22 to go.
Nia Coffey drilled a 3-pointer to put the Dream ahead 75-72 with 3:07 to go. Diamond DeShields hit a trey and split a pair of free throws over the next 1:11 to put the Sky up by one.
Carter’s 12 points and a 12-7 bench scoring advantage helped boost the Sky to a 43-41 advantage at halftime.
Chicago offset an uneven start with an 8-0 run to end the first quarter, getting five points from Evans during the spurt. Atlanta recorded a 9-0 run in the second quarter.
Gray led all scorers with 14 points at the break on 6-for-8 shooting, while Charles contributed 10 points to go with seven rebounds.
Chicago evened the season series with Atlanta at one game apiece, avenging a nine-point home loss on June 8.
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley attended the game to watch three former players: Gray and Laeticia Amihere of the Dream and the Sky’s Kamilla Cardoso.
Atlanta remained without injured leading scorer Rhyne Howard (ankle) and top reserve Aerial Powers (calf).
BASEBALL NEWS
MLB ROUNDUP: DODGERS EARN WALK-OFF WIN OVER D-BACKS
Teoscar Hernandez drove in three runs, including the game-winner on a ninth-inning single, as the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied for a 6-5 victory over the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday.
Shohei Ohtani hit a two-run home run as part of a three-hit night, helping the Dodgers prevail after they lost two of three games over the weekend at San Francisco. Hernandez also had three hits.
Christian Walker continued to torment the Dodgers with a home run, his fifth in seven games against Los Angeles this season, while former Dodger Joc Pederson hit a solo shot in the top of the ninth off Evan Phillips (1-0) to put Arizona up 5-4.
The Dodgers were down to their last out when Will Smith doubled to left-center against Paul Sewald (0-1). Freddie Freeman followed with a game-tying double. Two pitches later, Hernandez rolled his game-ending single to left field.
Orioles 2, Mariners 0
Grayson Rodriguez pitched 6 1/3 effective innings as Baltimore defeated host Seattle in the opener of a three-game series between division leaders.
The American League East-leading Orioles won for the fifth time in their past six games while the AL West-leading Mariners dropped their third in a row. Rodriguez (10-3) allowed just two hits, both by Josh Rojas, and Craig Kimbrel picked up his 20th save to complete the two-hitter.
Mariners starter George Kirby (7-6) allowed two runs on seven hits over 6 1/3 innings.
Brewers 4, Rockies 3
Rhys Hoskins was hit by a pitch with two outs and the bases loaded in the top of the ninth to drive in the winning run as Milwaukee rallied to beat Colorado in Denver.
The Brewers tied the game earlier in the inning on Willy Adames’ sacrifice fly off Nick Mears (1-4). Christian Yelich had a double among his three hits. Rob Zastryzny (1-0) picked up the win in relief, and Trevor Megill struck out two in a scoreless ninth for his 18th save.
Brenton Doyle homered, doubled and drove in two runs for the Rockies, who had a two-game winning streak end.
Phillies 6, Cubs 4
Trea Turner went 3-for-5 with two homers and four RBIs to lead Philadelphia to a victory at Chicago.
Garrett Stubbs had a two-run double for the Phillies. Michael Mercado (1-0) allowed one run and two hits in five innings in his first major league start and second appearance.
Seiya Suzuki smacked a three-run homer and Cody Bellinger had an RBI double for Chicago, which lost for the seventh time in nine games. Hayden Wesneski (2-5) surrendered five runs and five hits over five innings.
Rangers 7, Padres 0
Nathaniel Lowe clouted a pair of two-run homers and Nathan Eovaldi allowed only one hit over seven shutout innings as Texas blanked San Diego in Arlington, Texas.
Eovaldi (5-3) struck out six and walked none, facing just one batter over the minimum during his 92-pitch stint. Jonathan Hernandez tossed the final two innings to complete a two-hit shutout as Texas earned a second consecutive win after dropping six in a row.
Dylan Cease (7-7) was pounded for eight hits and six runs in 3 2/3 innings as the Padres took their second straight loss after winning nine of the previous 10.
Twins 5, Tigers 3
Manuel Margot and Carlos Correa homered as Minnesota rallied past Detroit in Minneapolis for its fifth win in six games.
Twins reliever Jorge Alcala (2-3) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Minnesota’s Royce Lewis went 1-for-2 with a two-run double before leaving due to left groin tightness after the fifth inning. The team labeled his status as day-to-day. Jhoan Duran pitched a perfect ninth inning to collect his 13th save.
Justyn-Henry Malloy and Ryan Kreidler homered for the Tigers, who lost for the fifth time in six games. Tarik Skubal gave up three runs on four hits in six innings.
Reds 5, Yankees 4
Elly De La Cruz hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning as visiting Cincinnati held on to beat New York.
The Reds won for the third time in five games by building a five-run lead and surviving a big night from Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who hit his major-league-leading 32nd homer and had three hits. Gleyber Torres had an RBI single and rookie Ben Rice contributed a two-run double during New York’s three-run sixth.
De La Cruz’s blast came shortly after Will Benson helped chase Luis Gil (9-4) from the game with a two-run homer. Gil yielded four runs in four-plus innings. Cincinnati starter Graham Ashcraft (5-4) gave up three runs in five-plus innings.
Cardinals 7, Pirates 4
Nolan Gorman hit the second grand slam of his career to help visiting St. Louis beat Pittsburgh in the opener of a three-game series.
Alec Burleson hit a two-run homer and Brendan Donovan had three hits for the Cardinals, who have won three of their last four games. Kyle Gibson (6-3) allowed four runs in five innings. Ryan Helsley pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 31st consecutive save.
Jack Suwinski had three hits, including a three-run homer, and Andrew McCutchen also went deep for Pittsburgh, which has dropped three of four. Mitch Keller (9-5) surrendered six runs, five earned, in five innings.
Red Sox 8, Marlins 3
Kutter Crawford tossed six effective innings for visiting Boston, which scored early and never looked back in a win over Miami.
Ceddanne Rafaela hit a three-run home run to put Boston up 5-0 in the fourth inning. Jarren Duran also went deep and Masataka Yoshida had three hits. Crawford (4-7) allowed one run on three hits.
Jake Burger and Jesus Sanchez each homered for Miami. Valente Bellozo (0-1) gave up five runs on seven hits in his second major league start.
Guardians 7, White Sox 6
Bo Naylor delivered a pinch-hit, walk-off sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth as Cleveland beat visiting Chicago despite blowing a pair of multi-run leads.
Rookie Daniel Schneemann and Tyler Freeman each hit a two-run homer for the Guardians, who led 3-1 and 6-3. Emmanuel Clase (4-1) got the victory with a 1-2-3 ninth as the Guardians won their sixth straight at home.
Luis Robert Jr. tied it in the sixth inning with a two-run homer and roped a two-run single to level the game once again in seventh for the White Sox. Chicago fell to 8-34 on the road this year.
Blue Jays 7, Astros 6
George Springer hit a three-run home run, Spencer Horwitz had a solo shot and host Toronto went up by seven runs before holding on to defeat Houston.
Blue Jays starter Jose Berrios (8-6) allowed five runs on five hits in five innings. Chad Green pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his third save.
Yordan Alvarez hit a three-run homer for the Astros, and Jose Altuve added three hits. Houston starter Spencer Arrighetti (4-7) gave up seven runs (six earned) in four innings.
Giants 5, Braves 3
San Francisco hit three solo home runs, Hayden Birdsong pitched five solid innings to earn his first career victory and the Giants won at Atlanta.
Jorge Soler, LaMonte Wade Jr. and Heliot Ramos went deep for the Giants. Birdsong allowed two runs on four hits. Camilo Doval, San Francisco’s fourth reliever, pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to earn his 15th save.
Austin Riley and Sean Murphy homered for the Braves. Reliever Dylan Lee (2-2) yielded an unearned run in the sixth inning and took the loss.
Mets 7, Nationals 2 (10 innings)
Pete Alonso hit a two-run homer to cap a five-run 10th inning for resurgent New York, which beat host Washington in the second game of a four-game series.
New York overcame a 2-0 deficit for the second straight night. Jose Butto (2-3), who was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse earlier in the day, threw two innings of one-hit ball before the Mets broke through against Robert Garcia (0-3) in the 10th inning.
CJ Abrams had two hits for Washington, including an RBI infield single in the third. Nationals rookie DJ Herz allowed one run on five hits and no walks while striking out 10 over 5 2/3 innings.
Rays 5, Royals 1
Zack Littell threw five shutout innings as visiting Tampa Bay survived a 2-hour, 32-minute rain delay ahead of the sixth inning for a victory over Kansas City.
Littell (3-5) allowed four hits and no walks while striking out four for his first win since May 11. Isaac Paredes hit a two-run double and Brandon Lowe homered for the Rays.
MJ Melendez collected three of the Royals’ six hits. Brady Singer (4-5) allowed one run on three hits in five innings.
A’s 7, Angels 5
Brent Rooker and Lawrence Butler homered in a four-run fourth inning as Oakland defeated visiting Los Angeles to open a three-game series.
In the rematch of a 3-0 Angels sweep last week in Anaheim, Calif., the A’s also used a two-run double by Brett Harris to create a cushion en route to just the second win in their past nine games. Mitch Spence (5-4) yielded one run in 5 1/3 innings.
Brandon Drury scored three times after a single and two walks for the Angels. Jose Soriano (4-6) came off the injured list and permitted four runs in four innings.
ALL-STAR FUTURES GAME HEADLINED BY LAST TWO NO. 2 MLB DRAFT PICKS, DYLAN CREWS AND DRUW JONES
The last two No. 2 overall Major League Baseball draft picks will play for the National League in the All-Star Futures Game featuring top prospects.
Washington’s Dylan Crews, the second pick in 2023, and Arizona’s Druw Jones (2022) headline a group that includes a dozen former first-round selections on both the National League and American League rosters. The teams were announced on Tuesday for the July 13 game at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
Crews is ranked as MLB’s No. 4 overall prospect by Baseball America while Jones is the Diamondbacks’ No. 3 prospect. The Detroit Tigers’ No. 3 pick in last year’s draft, Max Clark, is among the former first-rounders on the AL team. He is rated as the Tigers’ top hitting prospect and the No. 10 overall prospect in the majors.
The game will be followed by a hitting contest before the All-Star Celebrity Softball Game.
Two former Texas Rangers stars will serve as managers. Four-time All-Star Adrian Beltre, a 2024 Hall of Fame selection, will manage the AL Futures team. Seven-time All-Star Michael Young, the 2005 American League batting champion, leads the NL team.
The seven-inning game features top minor league prospects competing as part of All-Star Saturday. The National League vs. American League format was introduced in 2019 after 20 years of U.S. vs. World matchups.
Major League Baseball, the MLB Pipeline, Baseball America and the 30 Major League Clubs selected the 27 players named to each team. That includes 25 active players and two inactive players designated for injury/call-up replacements. Each Major League organization is represented and players from all player development leagues were eligible.
Nasim Nunez drove in three runs to lead the NL to a 5-0 victory last year in Seattle.
Of past players from past Futures Games, 87.9% have gone on to play in at least one Major League game, while 232 total players (20.7%) have been selected to play in at least one Major League All-Star Game.
TIGERS TO SKIP RHP JACK FLAHERTY AFTER SECOND INJECTION FOR BACK PAIN
The Detroit Tigers have scratched right-hander Jack Flaherty from his scheduled start Wednesday at the Minnesota Twins after his second pain-killing injection for his ailing back, the team announced Tuesday.
Flaherty is dealing with low back tightness, the team said, and he will take a short rest before expecting to play catch later in the week. After two missed starts in the past month, he could next start a game against the Cleveland Guardians, who visit Detroit on July 8-11.
Rookie right-hander Keider Montero is slated to start in Flaherty’s place on Wednesday. Montero, who will turn 24 on Saturday, is 0-2 with a 9.35 ERA in 8 2/3 innings over two games (one start).
Flaherty, 28, is 5-5 with a 3.24 ERA, 14 walks and 115 strikeouts in 89 innings over 15 starts in his first season in Detroit after signing a one-year, $14 million contract.
A first-round draft pick by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2014, Flaherty has a career record of 47-39 with a 3.69 ERA, 268 walks and 863 strikeouts in 756 2/3 innings over 146 games (140 starts). He has played for the Cardinals (2017-23), Baltimore Orioles (2023) and Tigers.
In other Tigers news, shortstop Javier Baez (lumbar spine inflammation) is scheduled to start a rehabilitation assignment Tuesday with Triple-A Toledo. He is expected to be the designated hitter on Tuesday and take the field at shortstop on Wednesday.
Baez, 31, has not played since June 8. He is batting .183 with one home run and 25 RBIs in 53 games this season. The two-time All-Star is a career .252 hitter with 176 homers and 616 RBIs in 1,195 games for the Chicago Cubs (2014-21), New York Mets (2021) and Tigers.
BLUE JAYS PLACE INF ISIAH KINER-FALEFA (KNEE) ON 10-DAY INJURED LIST
The Toronto Blue Jays placed infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa on the 10-day injured list on Tuesday due to a sprained left knee.
In a corresponding move, the Blue Jays recalled shortstop Leo Jimenez from Triple-A Buffalo. Jimenez is set to make his major league debut.
Kiner-Falefa, 29, was scratched from Monday’s game because he felt something in his knee while stretching, manager John Schneider said after the 3-1 loss to the visiting Houston Astros. The move is retroactive to Monday.
In his first season with Toronto, after signing a two-year, $15 million contract, Kiner-Falefa is batting .292 with seven home runs, 33 RBIs, a .338 on-base percentage, .420 slugging percentage and .758 OPS.
A fourth-round selection by the Texas Rangers in 2013, Kiner-Falefa is a career .264 hitter with 33 homers and 236 RBIs in 729 games for the Rangers (2018-21), New York Yankees (2022-23) and Blue Jays.
He won the American League Gold Glove for third basemen in 2020.
Jimenez, 23, is ranked the Blue Jays’ No. 5 prospect by MLB Pipeline. The native of Panama was batting .271 with eight doubles, seven home runs and 23 RBIs in 57 games at Buffalo.
DODGERS LHP CLAYTON KERSHAW RESUMES THROWING PROGRAM
Los Angeles Dodgers veteran left-hander Clayton Kershaw played catch in the outfield Tuesday afternoon as he resumed his throwing program following offseason shoulder surgery.
Kershaw, 36, made a three-inning rehab start at Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on June 19 before his comeback was halted last Monday by residual shoulder soreness.
An MRI last week did not show any new damage and Kershaw hopes to throw a bullpen during the Dodgers’ current six-game homestand that begins Tuesday with a visit from the Arizona Diamondbacks.
A three-time National League Cy Young Award winner and the 2014 NL MVP, Kershaw is 210-92 with a 2.48 ERA in 425 career appearances (422 starts) over 16 seasons. He is the Dodgers’ all-time leader in strikeouts with 2,944.
Kershaw has not pitched since last season’s National League Division Series game at home against the Diamondbacks, when he gave up six runs on six hits while recording just one out. He had been dealing with shoulder discomfort and underwent surgery at the start of the offseason.
The Dodgers were hoping Kershaw could rejoin the rotation by late July.
The Dodgers signed Kershaw to a one-year deal for 2024 at $5 million with $7.5 million available in performance bonuses. He also has a $5 million option for 2025 with another $25 million available in bonuses that season.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL NEWS
BIG 12 NEWCOMER UTAH TABBED AS FAVORITE TO WIN THE EXPANDED 16-TEAM FOOTBALL CONFERENCE THIS FALL
IRVING, Texas (AP) — Big 12 newcomer Utah has been picked to finish first in the expanded 16-team football conference this fall in a preseason poll of media who cover the league.
The Utes got 20 of 61 first-place votes in the poll released Tuesday, a week before the start of the league’s football media days in Las Vegas. Kansas State got 19 first-place votes and was picked second, ahead of last year’s Big 12 runner-up Oklahoma State, which was first on 14 ballots. Kansas (five first-place votes) and Arizona (three) rounded out the top five.
Pac-12 teams Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah officially became Big 12 members this week, at the same time that reigning Big 12 champion Texas and Oklahoma joined the Southeastern Conference.
Colorado and coach Deion Sanders were picked 11th in the preseason poll, with Arizona State picked 16th.
The league also announced its preseason individual awards, led by NCAA rushing champion Ollie Gordon II from Oklahoma State as the offensive player of the year.
Colorado defensive back Travis Hunter, who has also played receiver for the Buffaloes, was selected as the offensive player of the year. Former Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson, now at UCF, was tabbed as newcomer of the year.
OKLAHOMA ST RB OLLIE GORDON II, WHO WON DOAK WALKER AWARD LAST SEASON, ARRESTED FOR SUSPICION OF DUI
Oklahoma State running back and Doak Walker Award winner Ollie Gordon II was arrested Sunday morning for suspicion of driving under the influence, police said.
A state trooper in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, reported seeing Gordon swerving in his black 2024 Cadillac. The vehicle was clocked at 82 miles per hour in a 65 mph zone, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The trooper pulled the vehicle over, smelled alcohol and found half-full bottles of vodka and tequila inside of it, according to the affidavit.
Gordon, 20, was arrested and registered breath alcohol content levels of 0.11 and 0.10 at the Cleveland County jail.
The Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office said Gordon posted bond and was released on Sunday.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether Gordon had an attorney.
Gordon ran for 1,732 yards and 21 touchdowns last season. He won the Doak Walker Award for the nation’s best running back, finished seventh in the Heisman voting and was a first-team Associated Press All-American.
An Oklahoma State spokesman said the school is aware of the situation.
HOCKEY NEWS
NHL FREE AGENCY SHOWS TEAMS IN STATES WITH NO INCOME TAX HAVE AN ADVANTAGE
When the Tampa Bay Lightning made moves at the NHL draft to clear salary cap space, general manager Julien BriseBois hoped a variety of factors would entice players to sign as free agents.
One, of course, was the organization’s penchant for winning and the talent already on the roster. Another, he pointed out, was the “favorable taxation situation.”
It has become difficult to deny the impact of favorable tax situations around the league in recent years. Four of the past five Stanley Cup champions are based in places with no state income tax, and that benefit continues to draw free agents who know they will take home more money there than elsewhere around North America.
“There is a distinct advantage for those teams that are in states with no tax — always,” said Alan Pogroszewski, who has studied and worked with players on tax matters for more than a decade. “There will always be an advantage.”
It is not necessarily the deciding factor for a player, but it certainly doesn’t hurt. The $69 million contract Sam Reinhart got to re-sign with the reigning champion Florida Panthers is worth more there than it would have been had he signed for the same terms in many other markets.
Averaging out Reinhart’s salary to $8.625 million annually, he owes $3.15 million in taxes in Florida. He would pay $1.1 million more in California, $1.5 million more in New York and $1.4 million more in Toronto, according to a calculator provided publicly by Cardinal Point Athlete Advisors.
Over the length of the contract that could save him up to $12 million.
“That’s part of the reality,” San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier said. “I think it is an advantage for those teams: They can obviously pay guys a little bit less, and guys are happy to go there. So not to their fault or anything, those teams take advantage of the situation as they should.”
And they do. Nashville, Florida, Tampa Bay, Dallas, Vegas and Seattle — the six teams in the 32-team NHL in states with no income tax — combined to spend nearly a quarter of the $1 billion-plus in salaries committed Monday when free agency opened.
Winger Jake Guentzel, who played his first seven-plus seasons with Pittsburgh before being traded to Carolina in March, just signed a seven-year deal worth $63 million with the Lightning. Their winning culture was part of the draw, along with the lack of winter weather, but tax experts will point out that he’s coming out ahead financially, too.
“I guess that’s always a good thing if you can make more money,” Guentzel said. “There’s just the positives about Tampa, and there just seems to be so many of them: living the lifestyle, the atmosphere in the rink is unbelievable and if that’s part of it, too, that’s great. There’s just a lot of things behind the scenes that you’re really excited for.”
Pogroszewski, the founder, president and CEO of AFP Consulting LLC, which specializes in the tax preparation and consulting for pro athletes, said he and his colleagues have debated for years how much of a factor financial matters such as these should play in free agent decisions.
He points out there are things players can do to even the playing field — retirement compensation arrangements in Canada being one of them and establishing residency in a no- or low-tax state is another. Grier said players and agents are all aware of tax differences by state, acknowledging “that definitely figures into everything.”
Veteran defenseman Chris Tanev’s situation featured a different variable. After finishing last season with the Dallas Stars, moving there and becoming a U.S. resident would have triggered Canada’s departure tax on capital gains, while remaining a resident of Ontario would have mitigated the tax advantage of working in Texas.
“That plays a role into it,” said Tanev, who played his first 14 years in Canada with Vancouver and Calgary and is now heading to Toronto after half a season with Dallas. “And family reasons. Just coming to a good team is obviously a big part of that. I didn’t want to leave Dallas and go to a team that wasn’t trying to win, and that was a huge reason why this happened.”
Some good teams do not have big-time tax benefits, such as the Oilers who went to the Cup final and pushed the Panthers to a Game 7. The Canadian dollar also plays a major role in league finances, with player salaries paid in U.S currency. Teams north of the border have said they can some $400,000 each time the Canadian dollar drops a penny in value, putting a strain on their ability to compete for or retain high-priced talent.
The vast majority of the league simply has to deal with paying players while considering state or provincial tax implications.
“If you can get New York state to go tax-free, I’m in,” Buffalo’s Kevyn Adams joked, before explaining his philosophy. “You try to focus your attention on building an organization the right way, where people recognize that and say, ‘That’s the culture, that’s the place that I want to play.’ … If there’s players that flat out just don’t want to be in cold weather or don’t want to be in a state that has higher taxes, then they are probably not for us anyway.”
AVALANCHE SIGN D ERIK BRANNSTROM TO 1-YEAR DEAL
The Colorado Avalanche signed defenseman Erik Brannstrom to a one-year contract on Tuesday.
Terms were not disclosed, but multiple outlets reported he will earn $900,000 in 2024-25.
Brannstrom, 24, had 20 points (three goals, 17 assists) in 76 games with the Ottawa Senators in 2023-24.
Over parts of six seasons with the Senators, the Sweden native collected 69 points (seven goals, 62 assists) in 266 games.
The Golden Knights drafted him in the first round (15th overall) in 2017 and traded him to Ottawa in the deal that sent Mark Stone to Vegas in February 2019.
WILD SIGN D JAKE MIDDLETON TO 4-YEAR, $17.4M EXTENSION
The Minnesota Wild signed defenseman Jake Middleton to a four-year, $17.4 million extension.
The deal, announced on Tuesday, has a $4.35 million average annual value and runs from the 2025-26 season through 2028-29.
Middleton, 28, tallied a career-high 25 points (seven goals, 18 assists) in 80 games last season and led the Wild in penalty minutes (77) and blocked shots (161).
He has 57 points (14 goals, 43 assists) in 239 games with the San Jose Sharks (2018-22) and Wild.
The Los Angeles Kings originally drafted Middleton in the seventh round (210th overall) in 2014.
REPORTS: GOLDEN KNIGHTS SIGN F VICTOR OLOFSSON
The Vegas Golden Knights signed forward Victor Olofsson to a one-year, $1.075 million contract, multiple outlets reported Tuesday.
Olofsson, who turns 29 this month, is taking a major cut in pay after completing a two-year, $9.5 million deal with the Buffalo Sabres.
He registered seven goals, eight assists and a minus-1 rating in 51 games in 2023-24 and has 182 points (90 goals, 92 assists) in 314 games since his NHL debut with Buffalo in the 2019-20 season, when he made the NHL All-Rookie first team.
The Sabres drafted the Sweden native in the seventh round in 2014.
KRAKEN TRADE D BRIAN DUMOULIN TO DUCKS FOR 2026 PICK
The Anaheim Ducks acquired defenseman Brian Dumoulin from the Seattle Kraken in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick in 2026 on Tuesday.
Dumoulin, 32, spent the first 10 seasons of his NHL career with the Pittsburgh Penguins before joining the Kraken on a two-year deal in free agency last year.
In what turned out to be his lone year in Seattle, Dumoulin played in 80 games and tallied six goals and 10 assists. He finished with a plus-3 rating for the season.
In his 11-year NHL career, Dumoulin has tallied 155 points (25 goals, 130 assists) in 626 games and accrued a plus-96 rating.
AUTO RACING NEWS
NASCAR LOOKS FOR DRIER TIME ON CHICAGO STREETS, FORMULA 1 HEADS TO BRITAIN
NASCAR CUP SERIES
The Grant Park 165.
Site: Chicago.
Schedule: Saturday practice, 12:30 p.m., qualifying, 1:30 p.m.; Sunday race, 4:30 p.m. (NBC).
Track: Chicago Street Course.
Race distance: 75 laps, 165 miles.
Last year: New Zealand’s Shane Van Gisbergen made NASCAR history when he became the first to win his Cup Series debut since Johnny Rutherford in 1963 when he won a rain-shortened event at Chicago. The race went just 78 of the scheduled 100 laps because of a late start and impending darkness. Justin Haley finished second with Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson and Kyle Busch rounding out the top five.
Last race: Joey Logano worked overtime — 31 extra laps — and withstood nearly running out of fuel to win the Ally 400 at Nashville Speedway last week. It was the two-time series champion’s first victory of the season and locked him into the playoffs to try for a third title. Logano did win NASCAR’s All-Star race at North Wilkesboro two months ago. Zane Smith was second, Tyler Reddick third, Ryan Preece fourth and Chris Buescher fifth.
Fast facts: The race at Nashville went five overtimes and 31 addition laps past the 300 planned. It ended more than six hours after it began. That also encompassed a lengthy rain delay. … Larson remains on top in the driver standings, 20 points ahead of Rick Hendrick teammate Chase Elliott. Denny Hamlin is third. … Larson, Hamlin, William Byron and Christopher Bell all have a series-best three victories this season. … Martin Truex Jr., in his final season of full-time racing, is fifth and the first driver without a win in the playoff grid. … Logano’s win means 11 drivers have victories this season with just five spots for points qualifiers. There are seven events left in the regular season, which concludes with the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on Sept. 1.
Next race: July 13, Pocono, Pennsylvania.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
NASCAR XFINITY SERIES
The Loop 110
Site: Chicago.
Schedule: Saturday practice, 10 a.m., qualifying, 11 a.m., Saturday race, 3:30 p.m. (USA).
Track: Chicago Street Course.
Race distance: 50 laps, 110 miles.
Last year: Cole Custer, the eventual series champion, won the inaugural Chicago street race that went less than halfway due to a weekend of rain. Organizers stopped the race on Saturday some 25 laps in and expected to finish Sunday before the Cup Series. But more rain ended those hopes.
Last race: John Hunter Nemechek took off on a restart on Lap 142 and drove off to victory at Nashville Speedway on Saturday. It was Nemechek’s second victory this season and gave powerhouse Joe Gibbs Racing five wins this year with four different drivers.
Fast facts: Nemechek has two wins for JGR with Aric Almirola, Ryan Truex and Christopher Bell winning the other three in the No. 20 car. … Custer continues leading the points standings and continues looking for his first win this season. Custer’s Stewart-Haas Ford finished ninth behind Nemechek. … Ty Gibbs started from the pole and won a stage, but dropped out of contention after connecting with Justin Allgaier. … Chandler Smith is 15 points behind series leader Custer. Allgaier is next in third, overtaking Austin Hill, who dropped to fourth.
Next race: July 13, Pocono, Pennsylvania.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
NASCAR TRUCK SERIES
Last race: Christian Eckes led every lap to take the Rackley Roofing 200 at Nashville Speedway. It was Eckes third win this season. Eckes finished ahead of Daniel Dye by more than two seconds.
Fast Facts: Eckes is the series points leader with a 40-point lead over Corey Heim. … Eckes’ dominant win was just the sixth time in series history a driver has led every lap. The last time was when Ron Hornaday did it at Bristol Motor Speedway in 1997. … Former Cup driver Clint Bowyer finished 17th driving for Spire Motorsports. It was the current broadcaster’s first NASCAR start in 2020.
Next race: July 12, Pocono, Pennsylvania.
Online: http://www.nascar.com
FORMULA ONE
British Grand Prix
Site: Silverstone, England.
Schedule: Friday practice, 7:30 a.m., 11 a.m.. Saturday practice, 6:30 a.m.; qualifying, 10 a.m.; Sunday race, 10 a.m. (ESPN).
Track: Silverstone Circuit.
Race distance: 52 laps, 190.262 miles (306.198 kilometers).
Last year: Max Verstappen held off Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton to win his first British Grand Prix. It was his sixth consecutive series win as he went on to the F1 championship.
Last race: George Russell clinched Mercedes’ first win of the season at the Austrian GP after taking advantage of a late clash between McLaren driver Norris and championship leader Verstappen in a Red Bull this past Sunday. Verstappen finished fifth.
Fast facts: Verstappen has won 51 of the past 77 F1 races. He increased his lead to 71 points over Norris and 87 over Charles Leclerc as he looks for his fourth series title. … Verstappen was comfortably ahead when a four-second delay during a stop tightened things with Norris. The two eventually tangled, letting Russell up front for the victory.
Next race: July 21, Budapest, Hungary.
Online: http://www.formula1.com
INDYCAR
Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio
Site: Lexington, Ohio.
Track: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
Race distance: 80 laps, 180.64 miles.
Last year: Alex Palou won by more than five seconds over Scott Dixon for his third straight series — and fourth in the previous five races — during the 2023 season.
Last race: Two-time IndyCar champion Palou reclaimed the lead in the points standings by winning from the pole two weeks ago at Laguna Seca Raceway. Colton Herta finished second for Andretti Global and Alexander Rossi finished third to earn his first podium of the season for Arrow McLaren.
Fast facts: Palou leads the series with three victories in the nine IndyCar races run this season. He has a 23-point lead in the standings over Will Power and 32 over third-place Dixon.
Next race: July 13, Newton, Iowa.
Online: http://www.indycar.com
NHRA DRAG RACING
Last event: Antron Brown won in Top Fuel and Bob Tasca III won in Funny Car at Norwalk, Ohio.
Fast facts: Drag racing champion and all-time great John Force, 75, continues to recover from his fiery wreck to end his Funny Car run two weeks ago in Virginia. The family’s last update said Force opened his eyes on the fifth day and was responding to commands. He is expected to need some time to recover.
Next event: July 19-21, Kent, Washington.
Online: http://www.nhra.com
WORLD OF OUTLAWS
Gopher 50.
Site: Spring Valley, Minnesota.
Track: Deer Creek Speedway.
Last events: Logan Schuchart won the pole in the 30-lap finale, then held off the season’s two winningest drivers in David Gravel and Sheldon Haudenschild, to win at Cedar Lake Speedway this past week. It was Schuchart’s first win of the season and came on the track where he won his first race in 2016.
Next events: Saturday at Wilmot, Wisconsin.
Online: http://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars
GOLF NEWS
AMATEUR LUKE CLANTON PRAISES COLLEGE GOLF, IN NO RUSH TO TURN PRO
Luke Clanton is the latest player making noise for the next generation in men’s golf.
While a healthy amount of attention at last week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic was given to the PGA Tour debut of 15-year-old Miles Russell, he wasn’t the only amateur in the field on a sponsor’s invite. Clanton, a 20-year-old from Florida State, finished tied for 10th at 14-under par thanks to a third-round 65.
That was his second PGA Tour start; his first came at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, where he also made the cut and tied for 41st.
Clanton commented Tuesday on the young talent on the rise ahead of his next start at the John Deere Classic, while also looking toward the future.
“My generation of golfers is going to be awesome,” Clanton said.
Ludvig Aberg of Sweden has already utilized the PGA Tour University pathway to gain an immediate PGA Tour card. Shortly after he made his debut in the summer of 2023, he won an event on both the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour. He played in the Ryder Cup and finished second at the Masters.
This year’s PGA Tour University beneficiary was Michael Thorbjornsen of Stanford. Then there are the rare cases like Nick Dunlap, who won The American Express in January to become the first amateur to win a PGA Tour event since Phil Mickelson in 1991.
A student at Alabama at the time, Dunlap soon turned pro in order to capitalize on PGA Tour membership.
Clanton told reporters Tuesday that his goal is neither to go pro early nor to finish atop next year’s PGA Tour University rankings.
“I want to win a national championship with the team,” Clanton said. “That’s been my No. 1 goal in college and we came pretty close this year. All of us back home are very driven this year to do it. Again, I think whatever happens happens. I’m still 20 years old. I’m still learning the ropes as much as I can. I’m going to do what I do.”
Clanton said there is NIL money in play for college golfers, but certainly nothing that would compare with the paycheck he would have earned last week if he had been a pro.
“I don’t really need a lot of money right now,” Clanton said. “I’m 20 years old, still at Florida State University. It’s enough to handle what we have here and to be able to travel.”
His future decision aside, Clanton talked up the current state of men’s college golf.
“I don’t think people realize how hard it is to win out there,” Clanton said. “I think every single week of college golf we have 20 guys amazing at golf that can play out here.
“I think we have great players coming up. I can name 20 right now that can win a PGA Tour event. It’s awesome to see. Winning in college feels pretty sweet because it’s hard. No doubt about it. I think even the younger ones, like Miles Russell, as well. I mean, the guy is 15 years old. Absurd for him to play his first PGA TOUR event like that. It’s awesome to see for sure.
SERGIO GARCIA EMOTIONAL AFTER FAILED OPEN QUALIFYING BID
Sergio Garcia of Spain was among the veteran players who failed to qualify for The Open Championship, coming up just two strokes shy in his final qualifier on Tuesday.
It marks the second consecutive year the 44-year-old member of LIV Golf will not play in the historic major.
“I come here and I try my hardest to get into The Open,” Garcia said after his day was done. “It would be nice to make The Open my 100th major, but it was tough conditions and sometimes things don’t go your way. … I tried everything that I could and that’s all I can ask myself for.”
Garcia shot 71 and 70 over two rounds at Liverpool’s West Lancashire Golf Club, one of four sites hosting final qualifying Tuesday. That gave him a score of 3 under par, but he settled for a tie for sixth and was not among West Lancashire’s four qualifiers.
Amateur Matthew Dodd-Berry and Sam Horsfield, both of England, shot 6 under. Daniel Brown of England and Masahiro Kawamura of Japan finished 5 under.
Garcia also was caught in a social media video complaining to R&A rules officials after being put on the clock for slow play.
“It’s OK, don’t worry. You’re always right, we’re wrong,” Garcia can be heard saying.
He later told reporters that the players were slowed down by fans on the property.
“The marshals were trying to do the best job they could do, but obviously, we had to stop pretty much on every tee for two to three minutes to hit our tee shots because people were walking in front of the tee and on the fairway,” Garcia said.
“Unless we wanted to start hitting people, we couldn’t hit. I don’t think they took that into account, and that was unfortunate. It made us rush.”
Garcia has never won The Open. He came closest when he lost to Ireland’s Padraig Harrington in a playoff in 2007; he later tied for second in 2014. Garcia’s lone major win was the 2017 Masters.
Other notable players attempting to qualify Tuesday include veteran Englishman Justin Rose and LIV golfers Anirban Lahiri of India and Abraham Ancer of Mexico. Rose, Lahiri and Ancer were competing at Burnham & Berrow in Somerset, and there was a possibility that all three would qualify as the second round concluded Tuesday evening.
TENNIS NEWS
NOVAK DJOKOVIC WINS HIS FIRST MATCH AT WIMBLEDON WITH A SLEEVE ON HIS SURGICALLY REPAIRED KNEE
LONDON (AP) — Novak Djokovic wore a gray sleeve on his surgically repaired right knee while winning his first-round match at Wimbledon on Tuesday without too much of a test.
Playing his first match since tearing the meniscus in his knee at the French Open on June 3, Djokovic never faced a break point along the way to a 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 victory over qualifier Vit Kopriva in under two hours on Centre Court.
“Very pleased with the way I felt on the court. Obviously, coming into Wimbledon this year was little bit of different circumstances for me, because of the knee. I didn’t know how everything was going to unfold on the court, really,” Djokovic said. “Practice sessions are quite different from official match play. I’m just extremely glad (with) the way I felt today, the way I played.”
He accumulated 15 break chances, converting six, and delivered his usual clean strokes, finishing with twice as many winners, 32, as unforced errors, 16.
There were plenty of quick points, which probably was at least in part a result of Djokovic trying not to spend too much time running more than he needed to. He ended up taking 68 of the 91 exchanges that lasted four or fewer strokes.
“I tried to really focus on the game and not really think too much about the knee,” Djokovic said. “Everything I could possibly do, I’ve done, along with my team, in the last 3 1/2 weeks in order to give myself a chance to be able to play.”
The 37-year-old Djokovic has won seven of his men’s-record 24 Grand Slam titles at the All England Club and was the runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz last year.
Djokovic hurt his knee during a five-set win at Roland Garros and pulled out of that tournament, then had surgery in Paris on June 5. Less than a month later, he was back in action and taking the first step toward what he hopes would be an eighth championship at Wimbledon, which would tie Roger Federer’s mark for the most by a man.
“If it was for any other tournament, I probably wouldn’t risk it, wouldn’t rush it as much,” Djokovic said. “I just love Wimbledon.”
Speaking to the crowd after the match, Djokovic thanked his surgeon, saying: “Without him doing his job well, things would be a bit complicated.”
He also noted Andy Murray’s withdrawal on Tuesday, a little more than a week after the 37-year-old from Scotland had a procedure to remove a cyst from his spine. Murray won two of his three major trophies at Wimbledon.
“A great blow to the tournament. It’s unfortunate, really,” Djokovic said. “Great respect to him (for) all he has done in this tournament and this sport. I just hope he will be able to finish his career on his terms.”
TOP INDIANA SPORTS RELEASES
INDIANA PACERS
REPORT: PACERS SIGNING FORMER NO. 2 PICK JAMES WISEMAN
The Indiana Pacers are signing former No. 2 overall draft pick James Wiseman to a two-year contract, ESPN reported Tuesday.
The 23-year-old free agent center averaged 7.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 17.3 minutes in 63 games (six starts) last season with the Detroit Pistons.
Wiseman has career averages of 9.1 points and 5.6 rebounds in 147 games (55 starts) with the Golden State Warriors (2020-23) and Pistons.
Golden State drafted Wiseman with the No. 2 pick in 2020 and traded him to Detroit in a four-team deal on Feb. 9, 2023. The 7-footer missed the entire 2021-22 season with a knee injury.
INDIANA FEVER
GAME RECAP: MITCHELL MAKES 500TH CAREER 3-POINT FIELD GOAL IN LOSS AT ACES
LAS VEGAS – The Indiana Fever (8-13) came up short, 88-69, at the Las Vegas Aces on Tuesday night at T-Mobile Arena. Indiana tied a season-high in rebounds with 44 in front of a crowd of 20,366, which was the fifth largest attendance for a WNBA regular season game ever.
All of Indiana’s 2024 WNBA All-Stars scored in double-figures on Tuesday led by Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell’s 23 points as she tied a season-high five made 3-point field goals. Mitchell became the 19th player in WNBA history to reach 500 career made field goals and she also pulled down four rebounds. Fever center Aliyah Boston recorded her seventh double-double of the season Tuesday night with 18 points and 11 rebounds, as well as two assists, one steal and one blocked shot. Fever rookie guard Caitlin Clark also recorded a double-double, her fifth of the season, with 13 points, 11 assists, six rebounds and one steal.
Fever forward NaLyssa Smith recorded 14 rebounds, which propelled her to 12th place on the Fever All-Time rebounds list, passing Erica Wheeler. Smith also recorded five points, one assist and one block. Fever forward Damiris Dantas also got her first minutes of the season with Indiana early in the second quarter. Indiana outscored Las Vegas in paint points, 38-32 and outrebounded the Aces, 44-38.
Three Aces (11-6) players scored in double figures as well, starting with Aces forward Kelsey Plum’s season-high 34 points on 11-of-20 field-goal shooting and 6-of-11 3-point field goal shooting. Plum also added six rebounds and five assists. Aces forward A’ja Wilson followed with 28 points, nine rebounds and five blocks. Wilson’s five blocks tied Tamika Catchings for 14th on the WNBA All-Time blocks list with 385. Aces guard Jackie Young, who has scored 20 points in her last six of eight games, only scored 15 points, but dished out 10 assists and pulled down four rebounds.
UP NEXT
The Fever return home to take on the New York Liberty at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET. Saturday’s game will be broadcast on CBS.
ALIYAH BOSTON, CAITLIN CLARK, AND KELSEY MITCHELL NAMED 2024 WNBA ALL-STARS
INDIANAPOLIS – The WNBA announced today Indiana Fever center Aliyah Boston, guard Caitlin Clark and guard Kelsey Mitchell were selected to the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game. This year’s WNBA All-Star Game will be played in Phoenix at Footprint Center on Saturday, July 20 on ABC at 8:30 p.m. ET featuring the WNBA All-Stars against the USA Basketball Women’s National Team.
Boston and Mitchell join Tamika Catchings, Katie Douglas and Candice Dupree as the only players in franchise history to earn multiple WNBA All-Star Game invitations with the Fever. This year is the second season in franchise history the Fever will send three players to the WNBA All-Star Game, joining Catchings, Anna DeForge and Tammy Sutton-Brown in 2007.
Boston earned her second consecutive WNBA All-Star selection after starting for Team Wilson during the 2023 WNBA All-Star Game. Boston pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds in last year’s WNBA All-Star Game in Las Vegas. In Boston’s first 20 games of the 2024 regular season, she averaged 13.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 blocks in 30.2 minutes per contest and has started every game this season. On June 18, Boston was named WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the week for the week of June 10-16, which was the second time she received player of the week honors.
Clark earned her first WNBA All-Star selection after averaging 16.2 points, 6.9 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 34.2 minutes per contest and has started in all 20 games this season. The 2024 No. 1 overall draft pick leads all rookies in points per game, assists per game, minutes per game, field goals made, 3-point field goals made and is third in the WNBA in assists per game. Clark won WNBA Rookie of the Month in May and already owns the franchise rookie-record for most assists in a debut season. In Clark’s 19th career game, she became the fastest player in WNBA history to record at least 300 points, 100 rebounds and 100 assists.
Mitchell also earned her second consecutive WNBA All-Star selection this year after playing for Team Stewart in the 2023 WNBA All-Star Game. Mitchell leads Indiana in scoring with a team-best 16.3 points per game and ranks 13th across the league. Through the first 20 games this season, Mitchell is also averaging 1.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists and shooting better than 43 percent from the floor. Mitchell enters Tuesday night’s game at the Las Vegas Aces five 3-point field goals shy from reaching 500 made from beyond the arc in her career.
The full list of previous Indiana Fever All-Star selections is below:
Aliyah Boston: 2023*, 2024
Tamika Catchings: 2002*, 2003*, 2005*, 2006*, 2007*, 2009*, 2011*, 2013*, 2014*, 2015*
Caitlin Clark: 2024
Marissa Coleman: 2015
Anna DeForge: 2007*
Katie Douglas: 2009*, 2011*
Candice Dupree: 2017, 2019
Briann January: 2014
Kelsey Mitchell: 2023, 2024
Tammy Sutton-Brown: 2007
Erica Wheeler: 2019^
Tamika Whitmore: 2006
Natalie Williams: 2003
Rita Williams: 2001
Shavonte Zellous: 2013
* – Starter ^ – All-Star Game MVP
INDIANA MEN’S BASKETBALL
C.J. RED PROMOTED TO ASSISTANT COACH
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. –––– Indiana Wrestling head coach Angel Escobedo has announced that C.J. Red has been promoted to a full-time assistant coach.
Previously, Red was in a volunteer assistant role on the coaching staff.
Red joined the Indiana coaching staff in the fall of 2022 and has served two seasons with the Hoosiers since his arrival in Bloomington. His time on the staff has been instrumental to the program’s growth and the wrestlers’ development.
Since Red joined the program, it has elevated in a number of ways. In 2022-23, the team had its best dual record since 2016-17, marking an 8-5 record while going 7-5 in 2023-24.
The Hoosiers also recorded their best showing at the NCAA Championships in years this year. Indiana’s six qualifiers was the most the program had sent to nationals since 2010. Additionally, the Hoosiers’ 26th place finish was the program’s best since 2016.
Prior to IU, Red wrestled at the University of Nebraska from 2016-2022. At Nebraska, he was a five-time NCAA qualifier and three-time All-American at 141 lbs. He also finished on the podium at the Big Ten Championships four times, including a second place finish in 2019.
He went 98-46 in his college career with a 39-20 record in duals.
In his prep days, Red was one of the most decorated recruits ever to come from the state of Indiana. The New Palestine High School standout went 183-0 and was four-time IHSAA State Champion.
He was deemed the top 132-pounder in the country, according to the Asics FloRankings in the class of 2016. He won the 2015 FloNationals crown, was the 2014 Super 32 champion and 2014 Fargo Junior Cadet Nationals champion, all at 126 lbs.
INDIANA WOMEN’S GOLF
SHEPHERD JOINS INDIANA WOMEN’S GOLF STAFF
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana women’s golf head coach Brian May completed his coaching staff with the addition of assistant coach Ivy Shepherd, the program announced on Tuesday.
“I am so excited that Ivy has decided to join the Hoosier family,” May said. “She brings a wealth of golf knowledge and competitiveness to our program. Her desire to equip and empower others will be a great asset to our team. I cannot wait to get her started in Bloomington.”
After a highly successful five-year collegiate playing career, Shepherd joined the coaching ranks as an assistant coach at James Madison. The Dukes finished top-3 in five total tournament in her debut coaching season, including an outright team title at the River Landing Classic. She helped lead Kendall Turner to a t-24th finish as an individual at the NCAA Bermuda Run Regional.
“I could not be more excited to take my next steps at Indiana,” Shepherd said. “The culture that Brian is creating in Bloomington is contagious and something I cannot wait to be a part of and aid in. I am ready to get going with this team and see what we can accomplish!”
She spent her final season of eligibility at Kentucky and helped guide the Wildcats to the NCAA Pullman Regional. UK broke four school records during her fifth season. Shepherd concluded the season with a 73.85 scoring average across 33 rounds.
Prior to joining her lone season in Lexington, Shepherd played four seasons at Clemson and was twice selected to the All-ACC First Team. She was a mainstay in the Tiger lineup in all 27 tournaments of her career and finished with 79 rounds played. Her four-year run at Clemson ended with a stroke average of 72.77 before sitting out her spring season while preparing to transfer to Kentucky.
She played her way inside the top 40 of the Women’s World Amateur Rankings, earning an invite to the prestigious 2022 Augusta National Women’s Amateur prior to her graduate season.
The Peachtree City, Ga., native was the top-ranked women’s golfer according to Junior Golf Scoreboard and the AJGA Rolex rankings coming out of high school in the state of Georgia. She was also a consensus top-15 recruit nationally. She earned medalist honors in the Georgia Junior Girls championship in 2017 and finished third in 2018. As a junior, Shepherd won the GSGA Girls Championship by six shots and was a member of the winning Georgia team in the Georgia-South Carolina Girls Team Match Play. She also won the Lady’s club championship at Braelin Golf club at age 12.
INDIANA WOMEN’S TENNIS
CHASE COLTON NAMED IU WOMEN’S TENNIS ASSISTANT COACH
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana women’s tennis head coach Gabrielle Moore has announced Chase Colton as the new assistant coach for the Hoosiers.
“I am thrilled and so fortunate to have Chase joining our tennis program,” Moore said. “His passion for coaching and the support he gives to his student-athletes is unmatched. Not only is Chase a great coach, but an even better person. His experience coaching at a high-level and developing student-athletes will be a huge asset to our program and to our vision to take this program to new and profound heights!”
Colton joins the Hoosiers after serving two seasons as an assistant coach at Kansas State. He coached three Big 12 All-Freshman Team honorees and made two NCAA tournament appearances with the Wildcats. In the 2022-23, the team achieved a season-high ITA ranking of 53 and finished the year at 67. In addition to that, he led Suarez to a career-high individual singles ranking at No. 58. The team posted wins over Iowa, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Wichita State, and TCU and reached the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament with a 4-3 victory over TCU. He coached three Big 12 All-Freshman Team honorees, in Suarez, Charlotte Keitel and Maralgoo Chogsomjav during his time with the Wildcats. He also saw Vanesa Suarez to a Big 12 All-Freshman Team Selection in the 2021-22 season.
Prior to Kansas, Colton also served two seasons as a volunteer assistant coach at Vanderbilt where he helped coach three All-Americans in Chris Rosca in singles 2021 and Anna Ross/Holly Staff in doubles 2022. He helped the team to a 14-10 team record in the 2020-2021 season with ranked wins over No. 9 Georgia Tech, No. 21 Auburn, and No.31 Kentucky. During this season, he coached Chris Rosca to an NCAA Elite Eight Singles Tournament appearance. He also helped land Marcella Cruz on the SEC-All Newcomer Team. In the 2021-2022 season, Colton helped the Commodores reach the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Championships, with wins over No. 10 Ohio State, No. 29 Tennessee and No. 34 South Carolina with two All-SEC Second Team selections.
“I couldn’t be more excited and humbled by the opportunity to come be the assistant coach at IU. Indiana is a school with a rich tradition of success, with a beautiful campus that speaks for itself. Additionally, Gabby is someone of high-character and success, and I’m thrilled to be able to work alongside her to bring the Hoosiers to the top of the Big Ten. Go Hoosiers!”
A four-year letterwinner for Wisconsin men’s tennis from 2016-2020, Colton posted a career 61-42 doubles record as a Badger, while compiling 48 singles wins. During his senior year, he was captain of the men’s team while playing the No. 1 position in singles and doubles. Academically, he was a two-time ITA Scholar-Athlete and three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection.
A native of Davie, Fla., Colton earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Wisconsin in May 2020.
PURDUE FOOTBALL
Purdue football coach Ryan Walters picked up the 10th recruit of the 2025 class by getting a verbal commitment from DL Drayden Pavey out of Cincinnati’s Taft High School. Pavey chose Purdue over Indiana and Wisconsin. Pavey is a 3-star recruit and is listed at 6’3” and 294 pounds.
PURDUE ATLETICS
MEN’S BASKETBALL’S GILLIS, VOLLEYBALL’S SCHERMERHORN EARN BIG TEN MEDAL OF HONOR
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Seniors Maddie Schermerhorn and Mason Gillis of the volleyball and men’s basketball programs were named recipients of the Big Ten Medal of Honor, recognizing their prolific achievements in the classroom and in competition.
Schermerhorn and Gillis join the 110th class of the conference’s most prestigious award after extensive and excellent athletic careers for the Boilermakers. Established in 1915, the Big Ten Medal of Honor is awarded to one male and one female student-athlete from the graduating class of each member institution who have excelled on and off the field throughout their college career. It was the first award in intercollegiate athletics to demonstrate support for the educational emphasis placed on athletics.
Schermerhorn is a four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and has been just as successful on the court as she was in the classroom. She was the conference leader with 4.54 digs per set in 2023 and was selected Second Team All-Big Ten. The Boilermaker from Ligonier posted 13 matches with 20-plus digs throughout the season and finished her collegiate career as one the best defensive specialists in program history. Schermerhorn ranked fifth in Purdue history in career digs (1,461) and third most digs in a single season (570).
Gillis was named the 2024 Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year after another stellar season with the men’s basketball team, playing a key role in Purdue’s run to the national championship game. Also a four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, he made 46.8 percent from long range (58-of-124), ranking sixth nationally in 3-point percentage among players that made at least 50, 3-pointers. The New Castle native played four years for the Boilermakers after redshirting the 2019-20 season.
Gillis earned his undergraduate degree from Purdue in three-and-a-half years before receiving his MBA in management from the Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business. Schermerhorn earned a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology before going on to finish with her master’s in communication and leadership from the Brian Lamb School of Communication.
Schermerhorn is the 10th volleyball student-athlete in school history to receive the prestigious Big Ten Medal of Honor. Gillis became the 32nd player from the men’s basketball program to win the award and the first since Purdue Athletics Hall of Famer Robbie Hummel in 2012.
NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL
CROSS III, WATTS EARN WALTER CAMP PRESEASON FIRST-TEAM ALL-AMERICAN ACCOLADES
The Walter Camp Football Foundation has released its 2024 Preseason All-America teams that feature four University of Notre Dame football student-athletes. Senior defensive back Xavier Watts and senior defensive tackle Howard Cross III were selected to the first team, while junior defensive back Benjamin Morrison and senior kick returner Jayden Harrison earned second-team honors.
Watts and Harrison were first-team Walter Camp All-Americans in 2023, while Cross III was named to the second team.
Xavier Watts
The 2023 Bronko Nagurski Awardwinner as the nation’s best defensive player, Watts led the nation in interceptions in ‘23 with seven and established himself as one of the best playmaking safeties in the country. He is the first Notre Dame player to post back-to-back games with multiple interceptions and just the fifth FBS player to do so in the last five seasons. Watts also became the first Notre Dame player to intercept a pass in three consecutive games this year.
A two-time national defensive player of the week in 2023, Watts earned his first award after dominating the game against No. 6 Southern Cal on October 14. He piled up seven tackles, intercepted reigning Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Caleb Williams two times, forced a fumble and also recovered a different fumble and returned it for a touchdown.
He followed up the Southern Cal performance with two more interceptions in the victory over Pittsburgh. All seven of Watts’ interceptions this season have led directly to Notre Dame points including five touchdowns.
Watts finished the season fifth on the Notre Dame team with 47 tackles, which included 2.5 TFL, four passes broken up, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble. His 137 interception return yards are the second-most at Notre Dame since 1996 (Julian Love, 2017, 153).
Howard Cross III
A Bednarik Award semifinalist, Cross III announced his status as a premiere defensive player in the country during the come-from-behind battle at No. 17 Duke on September 30. Leading the Irish with 13 tackles, Cross III also forced two fumbles (including the game-clinching fumble with 0:27 remaining) and claimed national defensive player of the week honors from Walter Camp, the Bednarik Award and the Senior Bowl.
The Duke game was not the only standout performance by Cross III this season. He piled up seven tackles at No. 25 Louisville, seven more at Clemson and added nine more stops in the home finale against Wake Forest. His 64 tackles this season tie him for the lead among all Power 5 defensive lineman and he is one of just eight FBS front-four defensive players to post 60 or more tackles this season.
Finally, Cross III’s 64 stops this season are the most for an Irish defensive lineman since Trevor Laws stacked up a remarkable 112 tackles in 2007. The 64 tackles are the 13th-best for a front-four Irish defensive lineman since 1986.
Benjamin Morrison
A Thorpe Award semifinalist in 2023, Morrison is among the most experienced and talented cornerbacks returning to FBS in 2024. In 25 games over the past two seasons, the Phoenix, Arizona, native has intercepted nine passes, including six during his rookie season in 2022, while adding 64 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss. A unanimous Freshman All-American in 2022 Morrison followed up in 2023 by leading the team with 10 pass break ups and collecting three more interceptions.
Jayden Harrison
Harrison was a first-team All-American as a kick returner at Marshall last season, finishing second in the country with a 30.7 yards-per-return average. He tied for the FBS lead with two kick return touchdowns in 2023.
Throughout his career Harrison has returned 60 kickoffs for 1,522 yards (25.4 yards per return average) and three touchdowns while catching 71 passes for 779 yards and four scores.
NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
ACHONWA, PROSPER NAMED TO CANADIAN OLYMPIC TEAM
Natalie Achonwa and Cassandre Prosper are 2024 Olympians.
On Tuesday, Team Canada announced its 12-person roster for the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris. Notre Dame is one of just two schools to place multiple players on the team.
Achonwa, a 2014 graduate of Notre Dame and native of Ontario, is Canada’s first four-time Olympian in women’s basketball (2012, 2016 and 2020). She has had a long and storied career, beginning in 2009 when she was the youngest player selected to the Canadian Senior National Team. She was 16.
While in South Bend, Achonwa added several accolades to her resume including being named to the AP All-America Third Team in 2015. She had a lifetime field goal percentage of 56.2, which ranks eighth in Irish history, and she notched 970 rebounds over her career, which ranks fifth. Achonwa finished her time at Notre Dame with 1,546 points (17th in school history).
Prosper, a rising junior at Notre Dame after enrolling early in December 2022, missed most of last season with a lower leg injury. The Montreal native averaged 8.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 steals over the five games in which she saw the court, all of which were improvements from the 2022-23 season.
The Canadian women qualified for the 2024 Olympic Games by finishing third in the FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualification Tournament in Hungary earlier this year. It is the team’s eighth Olympic appearance.
Once in Paris, the group stage of play for the women will begin July 28 and run through August 4. The quarterfinals, semifinals and gold medal match will be August 7, 9 and 11, respectively.
BUTLER MEN’S BASKETBALL
TONY BOLLIER JOINS BUTLER BASKETBALL STAFF AS GENERAL MANAGER/DIRECTOR OF PLAYER DEVELOPMENT
Tony Bollier has joined Thad Matta’s Butler Basketball staff in the newly-created position of General Manager/Director of Player Development.
Bollier, originally from Leo, Ind., arrives at Butler after spending the last seven seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks organization.
“Tony’s experience evaluating and developing talent in the NBA, G League and college basketball make him a great addition to our staff,” said Matta. “He has impacted both winning and positive culture at the highest levels of basketball, and I’m confident he’ll do the same here at Butler. We’re excited to bring Tony and his family back to Indiana.”
Bollier joined the Bucks organization in 2017 as the franchise’s director of basketball operations. In his seven seasons with the franchise, he helped the team to more than 350 wins, playoff appearances each year and the 2021 NBA Championship. During the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, Bollier added the responsibilities as the General Manager for the Bucks’ G League team, the Wisconsin Herd. The Herd had a franchise-record nine NBA call-ups during the 2021-22 season. Bollier transitioned into an assistant coaching role with the Herd during the most recent 2023-24 season.
In the college ranks, Bollier served as Georgia State’s director of basketball operations for the 2011-12 season and was an assistant coach at his alma mater, Wheaton College, from 2012-14.
Following his time coaching at Wheaton and prior to joining the Bucks, Bollier was on staff with the NBA Development League (which would later be rebranded as the NBA G League through an expanded partnership with Gatorade), serving as the league’s Manager of Player Personnel and Coach Relations. The first five years of Bollier’s professional career (2006-11) were spent with the NBA office in New York where he served in several operations and broadcast roles.
Bollier graduated from Wheaton College in 2006, serving as a team captain during his senior season. He was named to the D3Hoops.com All-Midwest Region Team in 2006, the same year he led the NCAA in free throw percentage. Bollier was a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin All-Conference honoree and finished his career as the all-time free throw percentage record holder at Wheaton.
The son of Stephanie and Phil, Bollier played for his father at Leo High School.
He and his wife, Mindy, have four daughters: Avery, Sydney, Emory, and Finley.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE WOMEN’S GOLF
MASTODON WOMEN’S GOLF ANNOUNCES 2024 FALL SCHEDULE
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Purdue Fort Wayne women’s golf head coach Jim Earle announced his squad’s schedule for the fall of 2024.
For the fourth year in a row, the Mastodons will play in the A-Ga-Ming Invitational, Earle’s creation from his time at Central Michigan. The season opens on September 1 in Kewadin, Michigan. Later in September, the Mastodons will play in Youngstown State’s event for the first time since 2018. The Roseann Schwartz Invitational will take place on September 22-23. September wraps up on the 30th with the Rocket Classic, Toledo’s event, in which the Mastodons have played three times over the years.
October 7-8 is when the Mastodons will visit Pennsylvania to play in the SFU Invitational, hosted by Saint Francis (Pa.), for the first time. The fall season will come to a close on October 21-22 at the Braun Intercollegiate, an event which the Mastodons played last season. Evansville’s event is where Adrienne Rohwedder finished runner-up a year ago.
The Mastodons return four players from 2023-24: Natalie Papa, Lillie Cone, Olivia Jang and Hunar Mittal. The ‘Dons will also welcome newcomers Lara Dommach, Louise Ekesall and Lillian Gottman to the roster for the fall.
EVANSVILLE WOMEN’S SOCCER
UE WOMEN’S SOCCER ANNOUNCES 2024 SCHEDULE
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Non-conference road matches at Louisville and Indiana, and home non-conference match-ups with reigning ASUN regular-season champion Lipscomb and regional rivals Lindenwood and UT Martin highlight the 2024 non-conference portion of the University of Evansville women’s soccer schedule, which was announced on Tuesday by head coach Chris Pfau.
Evansville will play two exhibition matches and six regular-season matches against opponents within a three-hour radius of campus in 2024. Included in that eight-match set, though, are two matches against NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago, as well as a match against a reigning conference regular-season champion.
The 2024 season will kick off with an exhibition match at SIUE on Wednesday, August 7, before the Purple Aces will play their lone home exhibition match of the season on Saturday, August 10 against NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 participant Saint Louis University (5 p.m.). The Billikens went 19-3-2 a season ago, and were nationally-ranked for much of the season.
Evansville will then open the 2024 regular-season at home against reigning ASUN regular-season champion Lipscomb on Thursday, August 15 at 6 p.m. The Bisons went 14-5-1 in 2023, including posting a 10-1-1 conference record to win the ASUN regular-season crown.
Ten days later, UE will hit the road to battle Western Kentucky in a non-conference contest on Sunday, August 25 at 6 p.m. The Hilltoppers finished third in CUSA a year ago, and the two teams battled to a scoreless draw in 2023 in Evansville.
UE will then return home to Arad McCutchan Stadium to host Lindenwood on Thursday, August 29 at 6 p.m. before embarking on a grueling two-match road trip. Evansville will first travel east to Atlantic Coast Conference member Louisville for a 6 p.m. central match-up on Sunday, September 1. Then, UE will travel north four days later to renew its rivalry with 2023 NCAA Tournament participant Indiana on Thursday, September 5 (7 p.m. central start).
The non-conference portion of UE’s schedule will wrap up on Thursday, September 12 at 6 p.m. with a non-conference contest with Ohio Valley Conference member UT Martin. The match will be UE’s “Senior Day,” as UE will honor its senior class that night. Evansville will then kick off Missouri Valley Conference play on the road on Thursday, September 19 with a 6:30 p.m. contest against Belmont.
“We feel like this schedule will definitely prepare us for Missouri Valley Conference play,” said Pfau. “There is a good mix of teams in this year’s schedule that play a variety of different ways, so it will be good preparation for Valley play.”
UE will square off with Murray State on Sunday, September 22 at 1 p.m. in the Purple Aces’ first home MVC contest of the year. The Murray State match will be part of “Alumni Weekend” for the UE program, as Evansville will welcome back alums from various points in the program’s history that day. The Purple Aces will also be out for revenge for last year’s 1-0 MVC Tournament loss suffered at the hands of the Racers in the 2023 Valley Tournament.
The month of September will conclude with UE’s final MVC regular-season contest at Missouri State on Thursday, September 26, as the Bears will be playing their final season in the Valley this year. UE, Missouri State and Illinois State are the only conference members to have played every season of MVC women’s soccer since its inception in 1996.
October opens with a tough two-match homestand on Thursday, October 3 and Sunday, October 6 against UNI (6 p.m.) and reigning MVC regular-season champion Drake (1 p.m.). The Purple Aces will then hit the road for a match at UIC on Thursday, October 10 before battling 2023 MVC Tournament champion Valparaiso on Sunday, October 13 at 1 p.m. in Valparaiso, Indiana.
UE concludes the regular-season with two of its final three matches at home, with home contests against Illinois State (Thursday, October 17 – 6 p.m.) and Southern Illinois (Sunday, October 27 – 12 p.m.) sandwiched around a road trip to Indiana State (Sunday, October 20 – 1 p.m. central). The 2024 MVC Tournament will kick off on Halloween with first-round matches, and continue with quarterfinal matches on November 3, semifinal matches on November 7, and the MVC Tournament final on Sunday, November 10.
The Purple Aces return 21 players from last season’s squad which advanced to the MVC Tournament quarterfinals, led by reigning second-team all-MVC defender Rachel Rosborough (Mt. Brydges, Ontario/Strathroy District C.I.). Season tickets for the 2024 season are currently available from the UE Athletic Ticket Office by contacting Logan Belz by phone at 812-488-2623. Adult season tickets begin at $50, with youth season tickets available for $20.
2024 UNIVERSITY OF EVANSVILLE WOMEN’S SOCCER SCHEDULE
Wednesday, August 7 at SIUE (EXH) 6 PM
Saturday, August 10 SAINT LOUIS (EXH) 5 PM
Thursday, August 15 LIPSCOMB 6 PM
Sunday, August 25 at Western Kentucky 6 PM
Thursday, August 29 LINDENWOOD 6 PM
Sunday, September 1 at Louisville 6 PM
Thursday, September 5 at Indiana 7 PM
Thursday, September 12 UT MARTIN 6 PM
Thursday, September 19 at Belmont * 6:30 PM
Sunday, September 22 MURRAY STATE * 1 PM
Thursday, September 26 at Missouri State * 6 PM
Thursday, October 3 UNI * 6 PM
Sunday, October 6 DRAKE * 1 PM
Thursday, October 10 at UIC * TBA
Sunday, October 13 at Valparaiso * 1 PM
Thursday, October 17 ILLINOIS STATE * 6 PM
Sunday, October 20 at Indiana State * 1 PM
Sunday, October 27 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS * 12 PM
October 31 – November 10 MVC TOURNAMENT TBA
SOUTHERN INDIANA WOMEN’S SOCCER
USI WOMEN’S SOCCER WELCOMES VARGA TO COACHING STAFF
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Soccer Head Coach Eric Schoenstein announced the hiring of Alliyah Varga as an assistant coach ahead of the 2024 season.
“We are extremely excited that Alliyah is joining the USI soccer family,” Schoenstein said. “Alliyah will be involved in all aspects of the program.”
Before arriving at USI, Varga was an assistant coach at the University of Tennessee at Martin last season while working on her master’s degree. Varga assisted the Skyhawks with training sessions, match day setup and preparation, team social media, and other duties.
Varga was also an assistant coach with the Olympic Development Program in the past year. Varga was a Tennessee ODP Age Group Assistant for the 2010 and 2011 Girls’ state teams, helping run training sessions and coaching during matches.
Previously, Varga was a U-9 assistant from 2020-22 and was a course instructor for National Soccer Coaches Association of America providing coaching education. Varga is also a United States Soccer Association member.
“Alliyah brings a great deal of experience as a former collegiate and professional soccer player, as well as college coaching experience at the Division I level,” Schoenstein added. “Alliyah is a great addition to the family.”
Varga’s playing career includes professional experience in Kotka, Finland with KTP (Kotkan Tyovaen Palloilijat) in 2023, competing in the Ykkösliiga.
Prior to playing professionally for KTP, Varga spent her collegiate career at Gardner-Webb University, earning a bachelor’s degree in Sports Education. At the D-I level with Gardner-Webb, Varga was a Big South Conference All-Tournament and All-Conference Team honorable mention selection in 2022. In four seasons, Varga made 40 starts in 64 games played, racking up over 3,800 minutes on the field and collecting six assists.
SOUTHERN INDIANA ATHLETICS
USI ADVANCES TO YEAR 3 OF NCAA D1 TRANSITION PROCESS
EVANSVILLE, Ind.—The University of Southern Indiana has successfully advanced to year three of its four-year NCAA Division I transition process.
USI Athletics is coming off a strong second season at the Division I level that saw the Screaming Eagles finish fifth in the Ohio Valley Conference Commissioner’s Cup standings.
The Screaming Eagles had a particularly strong season in women’s athletics, with USI finishing in the top four of the OVC standings in Basketball, Cross Country, Soccer, Softball and Tennis.
Women’s Basketball had a historic season, capturing the OVC regular-season and tournament titles before hosting a pair of WNIT games at home at the Screaming Eagles Arena. The championship women’s team finished the year with a 25-7 overall record and a 17-1 mark in OVC play.
Additionally, Volleyball, Softball and Tennis advanced to the semifinals of their respective tournaments, while Cross Country posted a second-place finish at the league meet.
USI also performed well in men’s athletics, with Baseball and Cross Country posting strong finishes. Cross Country raced to a second-place finish at the league meet, while Baseball finished third in the OVC Tournament. Men’s Basketball also advanced to the OVC Tournament for the second straight season, while golf tied for fifth at the OVC Championship.
Individually, USI saw several student-athletes recognized for their accomplishments in their respective arenas. Redshirt freshman Anna Markland (Hoover, Alabama) was named the OVC Goalkeeper of the Year in Women’s Soccer and junior Josie Newman (Indianapolis, Indiana) was named the OVC Pitcher of the Year in Softball.
Cross Country’s Alex Nolan (Evansville, Indiana) and Zoe Seward (Rochester, Indiana) were respectively the OVC Male and Female Freshmen of the Year honorees last Fall, while Anais Negrail (Maisons-Alfort, France) and Grant Parson (Owensboro, Kentucky) were named the OVC Freshmen of the Year for Women’s Tennis and Baseball, respectively.
Women’s Basketball’s Meredith Raley (Haubstadt, Indiana) also was the OVC Tournament’s Most Valuable Player, while Rick Stein was named the OVC Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year.
USI Athletics continues to foster student-athlete success including the launch of Icon Suite, an innovative name image and likeness tool accessible for all Screaming Eagle student-athletes and community members.
USI has continued to excel in the classroom, where more than 150 student-athletes were recognized last summer by the OVC, the Horizon League and the Summit League for their GPA achievements. The Screaming Eagles had 27 OVC Medals of Honor last year, which are given annually to student-athletes who achieve the highest GPA in a conference-sponsored sport. All 27 student-athletes carried a perfect 4.0 GPA.
VALPO WOMEN’S SOCCER
VALPO ANNOUNCES 2024 SOCCER SCHEDULE
Winners of a Missouri Valley Conference regular season championship and an MVC Tournament title over the last two seasons, the Valpo soccer program unveiled its slate for the upcoming 2024 season on Tuesday.
An exhibition match at Oakland Aug. 11 is followed by two road fixtures to kick off the regular season: Aug. 18 at Chicago State and Aug. 22 at Eastern Illinois. The Beacons make their 2024 Brown Field debut Aug. 25 with a challenging test, facing a Milwaukee side which went 12-3-5 last year, won Horizon League regular season and tournament titles and finished the season with an RPI of 36.
After hitting the road for a Sept. 1 matchup against Ohio, which won the MAC Tournament in 2023, Valpo returns home to take on another tough opponent in Xavier Sept. 5. The Musketeers went 14-4-4 last season, earned a share of the Big East regular season title, received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and closed the year with an RPI of 27.
Valpo’s home nonconference schedule wraps up Sept. 12 against Eastern Michigan. That match is sandwiched by the Beacons’ final two road trips of the nonconference slate, as they head to Wright State Sept. 8 and to Northern Illinois Sept. 15.
The single round-robin MVC schedule features contests against each of the conference’s other 10 teams. The Beacons open up Valley play at home on Brown Field Sept. 19 against Indiana State and Sept. 22 versus defending MVC regular season champion Drake. Valpo will also host Southern Illinois for Senior Day Oct. 6, as well as Evansville Oct. 13 and UIC Oct. 24.
Valpo’s first Valley road match is Sept. 29 at UNI. The Beacons will also travel to take on Illinois State (Oct. 3), Belmont (Oct. 17) and Murray State (Oct. 20), while the regular season wraps up at Missouri State Oct. 27. The MVC Tournament will be contested Oct. 31-Nov. 10, with the conference tournament champion earning the Valley’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Valpo enters the 2024 season coming off an 11-win campaign and a run to the MVC Tournament title in 2023. The Beacons return 20 players from that championship squad, while nine freshmen and a graduate transfer join the program this year.
UINDY WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
FORMER GREYHOUND HOOPER HUTCHINSON RETURNS AS ASSISTANT COACH
INDIANAPOLIS – UIndy women’s basketball head coach Jama Sharp announced the addition of former Greyhound Darion Hutchinson as an assistant coach for the upcoming 2024-25 season.
Hutchinson competed as a member of the program during the 2015-16 campaign, appearing in 18 contests with nearly 11 minutes of action per game. The Scottsburg, Ind., native graduated from UIndy with a Bachelor of Science in Communications with an emphasis in Public Relations in 2017.
“I am extremely thankful for the opportunity to not only return to my home state, but to be back at my alma mater as a Greyhound,” said Hutchinson. “I’m excited to get started and look forward to helping build this program alongside Coach Sharp.”
“I’m excited to bring Darion back to UIndy,” said head coach Jama Sharp. “She brings great energy and much neded experience. She will be a tremendous asset to our program.”
Hutchinson served as the Director of Basketball Operations and Video Coordinator at the University of Northern Iowa since 2019, where she planned all team travel, including hotel arrangements and meals. Hutchinson also submitted CARA logs, while acting as the program’s compliance and marketing liaison.
Other assignments Hutchinson completed include reserving all practice times for home and away games, assisting with recruiting visits, producing creative content for social media, maintaining team guidelines and expectations, managing all equipment needs, and organizing summer camps.
The Panthers went an impressive 97-61 over the course of the five seasons Hutchinson was on staff, which included four straight WNIT berths from 2021-24.
Prior to her time at UNI, Hutchinson was the Director of Basketball Operations at Indiana State after serving as an interim assistant coach for the Syramores. While at ISU, Hutchinson served as the community service coordinator, provided guidance to select student-athletes, assisted with summer camps and recruiting visits, in addition to her work with team travel and CARA logs.
The Sycamores advanced to back-to-back MVC Tournaments during Hutchinson’s time in Terre Haute
Hutchinson also has various marketing experience at Butler University and Indiana University, as well as game operations experience with the Indiana Pacers.
“I would love to thank Coach Sharp, the University and Athletics Department leadership, and my wonderful family for the continued support,” concluded Hutchinson.
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
40 – 41- 15 – 44 – 33 – 28
July3 , 1912 – New York Giants pitcher Rube Marquard tied Tim Keefe’s 1888 MLB record 19 game win-streak with 2-1 win v Brooklyn Dodgers; has 21 with 2 end-of-season in 1911
July 3, 1966 – 1966 was the first baseball season for the Braves in Atlanta after 13 seasons in Milwaukee and before that playing in Boston. Atlanta knew they had live bats in Number 44 Hank Aaron, Joe Torre (Number 15), and Eddie Mathews (Number 41), and the club did not realize that on this day they could depend on another stick in the lineup to produce runs. Atlanta Braves hurler Number 40, Tony Cloninger, became the first NL player and only pitcher to hit 2 grand slams in a MLB game. The Braves routed the San Francisco Giants 17-3 in the contest.
July 3, 1968 – Cleveland pitcher Luis Tiant, Number 33 struck out an MLB record 19 Minnesota Twins in 1-0 win This was a record for a 10 inning game. That was not all as he also record 32 Ks in consecutive games.
July 3, 1970 – California Angels pitcher Clyde Wright must have looked at the calendar and said, hey I want in the Daily Digits Sports Break too! Wright in his Number 52 no-hit the Oakland A’s, 4-0.
July 3, 1974 – Pitching in a MLB-record 13th consecutive game for the LA Dodgers, Mike Marshall (Number 28) saved Number 25, Tommy John’s 4-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds
FOOTBALL HISTORY
Redskins to Have ‘Through Review’ of Name
The NFL and the Washington franchise announced that the team ownership and management were “undergoing a thorough review of the team name.” Critics claimed that the nickname of the club was a “dictionary defined racial-slur” and had suggested owner Daniel Snyder change the offensive name so something else. The group had the attention of Roger Godell and multiple NFL sponsors this time, and the Washington brass were listening. The group finally in August announced that the franchise would be called the Washington Football Team for at least the remainder of the 2020 season.
Hall of Fame Birthdays for July 3
July 3, 1943 – Norfolk, Virginia – The University of Tennessee’s middle guard from 1962 to 1964, Steve DeLong was born. Steve’s bio on the NFF’s website says he played middle guard on defense for Tennessee 1962-1964. He made the Associated Press all-sophomore team in 1962, was voted defensive lineman of the year in the Southeastern Conference three times 1962-1964, and was All-America twice 1963-1964. Tennessee’s record in those days was 4-6, 5-5, 4-5-1. In 1964 DeLong, 6-3 and 243- pounds, won the Outland Trophy as the nation’s best interior lineman, was picked Lineman of the Year by the Columbus Touchdown Club and Birmingham Touchdown Club, and was voted Most Valuable Player in the Senior Bowl. In 1990, in a fans’ vote, he was named to Tennessee’s all-time team, covering 100 years of football 1890-1989. Steve’s son, Keith, was linebacker at Tennessee and was captain and All- America in 1988. Keith was also selected to the “100 years of Volunteers” team in 1990. Steve’s brother, Ken, played at Tennessee 1967-1969. After college The College Football Hall of Fame proudly placed a display in honor ofSteve DeLong into their legendary museum in 1993. DeLong played defensive end for San Diego and Chicago in the National Football League from 1965-1972.
July 3, 1959 – Las Vegas, Nevada – Nevada-Reno’s brilliant halfback from 1977 to the 1980 season, Frank Hawkins was welcomed into the world. The FootballFoundation.org says Frank earned 5,333 yard rushing in his collegiate career. This guy was money with the ball under his arms. He was named a Division All-America three times and led Division I-AA in rushing in 1979 and 1980. His best rushing game was 293 yards against San Francisco State in 1978. He rushed for 265 yards against Idaho in 1980, 217 against Idaho in 1979, 202 against Montana in 1980, and 201 against Weber State in 1979. He finished with 21 consecutive 100-yard games. He scored 39 touchdowns in four years. For his final game, Nov. 22, 1980, against Idaho, his school created “Day of the Hawk” and gave commemorative pins to spectators. Hawkins’ jersey, No. 27 was retired. Frank Hawkins received the great honor of being selected for inclusion into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1997. Frank entered into the NFL after college playing for the Oakland Raiders for seven seasons.
July 3, 1976 – Joplin, Missouri – Grant Wistrom who was the University of Nebraska’s defensive end from 1994 to 1997 was born. The National Football Foundation says the Cornhuskers put up a 49-2 win/loss record enroute to winning three National Championships behind the dominant play of the two-time unanimous All-American selection during his time at the school. The word dominant is an appropriate word to describe this player. As a freshman on the 1994 National Championship team, Wistrom notched 36 tackles and 4.5 sacks as he eventually became the Big Eight Newcomer of the Year. During his sophomore season, he knocked out 44 tackles, including a team leading 15 tackles for loss while being named First Team All-Big Eight as the Huskers won their second straight national title. In 1996, Wistrom helped the Husker defensive unit to the Top 10 in the nation in all four major defensive categories. As a senior, Wistrom won the Lombardi Award and earned a finalist spot for the Nagurski Defensive Player of the Year Award. Grant Wistrom’s collegiate football records are celebrated in the College Football Hall of Fame after his induction in 2009. Grant was picked in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams and he had an immediate impact. Wistrom took home the Ram’s Defensive Rookie of the Year honors for his efforts. Later Wistrom played in three Super Bowls during his six-season career, including a victory in Super Bowl XXXIV with the Rams. He retired as a Seattle Seahawk just after the 2006 season ended.
The Costs in American Football History…
1878- According to football historian Parke H. Davis, the public was up in arms when it was learned that the Princeton-Yale game that took place that year had to pay what was considered a ridiculous sum of $300 to rent the field. In today’s college games some pay more than that for just one admission ticket to a single game!
Other Notable July 3 Football Birthdays:
July 3, 1945 – Paul Naumoff was a Linebacker out of the University of Tennessee that played 12 seasons for the Detroit Lions. Mr. Naumoff was selected to the Pro Bowl during the 1970 campaign for the Lions.
July 3, 1966 – Morristown, New Jersey – Neil O’Donnell , NFL quarterback that played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Jets, born. O’Donnell was the Steelers starting quarterback in Super Bowl XXX as they lost 27-17 to the Dallas Cowboys.
July 3, 1977- David Bowens was a Defensive End that played 12 seasons in the NFL. He wore the uniform of the Broncos, Packers, Dolphins, Jets and Browns and even played a little bit of inside linebacker later in his career.
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1912 — Rube Marquard of the New York Giants raised his season record to 19-0 with a 2-1 victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers. His winning streak ended five days later against the Chicago Cubs.
1939 Cleveland’s Ben Chapman ties the modern major-league record with three triples in a 4-2 win over the Detroit Tigers.
1939 — Johnny Mize of St. Louis hit two home runs, a triple and a double, leading the Cardinals to a 5-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Mize drove in three runs and scored three times.
1947 — The Cleveland Indians purchased Larry Doby from the Newark Eagles of the Negro National League, making him the first black player in the American League.
1966 — Atlanta pitcher Tony Cloninger became the first National League player to hit two grand slams in one game. He added a single for nine RBIs in a 17-3 triumph over San Francisco.
1968 — Cleveland’s Luis Tiant struck out 19, walked none in a six-hit 1-0, 10-inning triumph over Minnesota.
1970 — California’s Clyde Wright used only 98 pitches to no-hit the Oakland A’s 4-0 at Anaheim Stadium.
1973 — Jim Perry of the Detroit Tigers and brother Gaylord of the Cleveland Indians faced each other for the only time as opposing pitchers. Neither finished the game. Gaylord took the loss, 5-4.
2006 — Manager Felipe Alou picked up his 1,000th career victory in San Francisco’s 9-6 win over Colorado.
2013 — Max Scherzer worked into the seventh inning to become the first pitcher in 27 years to get off to a 13-0 start, leading the Detroit Tigers to a 6-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.
2016 — Stephen Strasburg was removed from a no-hit bid after 6 2/3 innings, and Ramon Cabrera singled against Matt Belisle leading off the eighth for Cincinnati’s first hit in the Washington Nationals’ 12-1 rout of the Reds. Strasburg (11-0) threw 109 pitches, five shy of his season high. Strasburg won a franchise-record 14 straight decisions and is the first NL starter to begin a season 11-0 since San Diego’s Andy Hawkins in 1985.
2016 — Wilmer Flores went 6 for 6 with two of New York’s five home runs, and the Mets romped to a 14-3 win and a four-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs. Jon Lester gave up eight runs and nine hits in 1 1/3 innings, the shortest of his 301 career starts over 11 major league seasons.
2016 — New York’s Mark Teixeira hit his 400th and 401st home runs and Chad Green got his first big league victory as the Yankees avoided a three-game sweep with a 6-3 win over San Diego.
2020 — Major League Baseball announces the cancellation of the 2020 All Star game in Dodger Stadium due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
July 3
1920 — Suzanne Lenglen beats Dorothea Chambers a second straight year (6-3, 6-0) to win the women’s singles title at Wimbledon.
1925 — Suzanne Lenglen wins her sixth and final women’s singles title at Wimbledon, easily beating Joan Fry, 6-2, 6-0.
1931 — Max Schmeling knocks out Young Stribling at 2:46 of the 15th round to retain the world heavyweight title in Cleveland.
1951 — Sam Snead wins his third PGA Championship with a 7 and 6 victory over Walter Burkemo at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club.
1966 — Atlanta pitcher Tony Cloninger becomes the first National League player to hit two grand slams in one game. He adds a single for nine RBIs in a 17-3 triumph over San Francisco.
1976 — Bjorn Borg beats Ilie Nastase 6-4, 6-2, 9-7, to win his first men’s singles title at Wimbledon.
1981 — Wimbledon Women’s Tennis: Chris Evert beats Hana Mandlíková 6-2, 6-2 for her third and final Wimbledon singles title.
1982 — Martina Navratilova begins her streak of six straight singles titles at Wimbledon with a 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 victory over Chris Evert Lloyd. It’s the third Wimbledon singles title for Navratilova, all against Evert Lloyd.
1983 — Calvin Smith sets the 100-meter world record at Colorado Springs, with a run of 9.93 seconds. He breaks the previous record of 9.95 set by Jim Hines in 1968.
1983 — Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: American John McEnroe wins 5th career Grand Slam title; outclasses Chris Lewis of New Zealand 6-2, 6-2, 6-2.
1994 — FIFA World Cup: In a huge upset Romania eliminates Argentina 3-2 from the round of 16 at the Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California.
2004 — Maria Sharapova, 17, wins her first Grand Slam title and instant celebrity by beating Serena Williams 6-1, 6-4. For the first time since 1999, none of the four major titles is held by a Williams.
2005 — Roger Federer wins his third consecutive Wimbledon title by beating Andy Roddick 6-2, 7-6 (2), 6-4. Federer is the third man since 1936 to win three straight Wimbledon crowns, joining seven-time champion Pete Sampras and five-time winner Bjorn Borg.
2006 — Annika Sorenstam wins the U.S. Women’s Open after 10 years of frustration and wins her 10th major championship. Sorenstam, who shot a 1-under 70 in the 18-hole playoff, beats Pat Hurst by four strokes for the largest margin of victory in a playoff at the major since Kathy Cornelius won by seven shots 50 years ago.
2006 — Detroit Red Wings legend Steve Yzerman officially retires from the NHL, finishing with 692 goals and 1,755 points.
2007 — The Alinghi team from Switzerland — a country more often associated with Alpine skiing and winter snowscapes — successfully defends sailing’s coveted America’s Cup, beating Emirates Team New Zealand 5-2.
2010 — Serena Williams wins her fourth Wimbledon title and 13th Grand Slam championship by sweeping Vera Zvonareva in straight sets in the women’s final. Williams, who finishes the tournament without dropping a set, takes 67 minutes to win 6-3, 6-2.
2011 — Novak Djokovic wins his first Wimbledon, beating defending champion Rafael Nadal 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3. Djokovic, already guaranteed to take over the No. 1 ranking from the Spaniard on July 4, extends his mastery over Nadal this season with a fifth straight head-to-head victory.
2016 — Serena Williams overwhelms Annika Beck 6-3, 6-0 in just 51 minutes on Centre Court at Wimbledon, advancing to the fourth round with her 300th career Grand Slam match win.
2018 — Feliciano Lopez makes history just by taking to the court at Wimbledon. The 36-year-old Spaniard breaks Roger Federer’s record by appearing in a 66th consecutive Grand Slam singles tournament, continuing a run that started at the 2002 French Open. Lopez beats Federico Delbonis of Argentina 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.
2020 — The Major League Baseball All-Star game planned to be hosted by the Los Angeles Dodgers is cancelled due to governmental restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
_____
July 4
1907 — Canadian world heavyweight boxing champion Tommy Burns KOs Bill Squires of Australia in round 1 in Colma, California, his 6th title defense.
1910 — Jack Johnson knocks out Jim Jeffries in the 15th round at Reno, Nev., to retain the world heavyweight title and spoil Jeffries’ comeback.
1914 — The Harvard eight wins the Grand Challenge Cup to become the first American crew to capture the top event at the Henley Royal Regatta.
1919 — Jack Dempsey wins the world heavyweight title at Toledo, Ohio, when Jess Willard fails to answer the bell for the fourth round.
1923 — Jack Dempsey beats Tommy Gibbon in 15 for the heavyweight title. The fight almost bankrupts the town of Shelby, Montana, which borrowed heavily to stage it.
1930 — Helen Wills Moody wins her fourth straight singles title at Wimbledon with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Elizabeth Ryan. Moody would go on to win four more Wimbledon singles titles.
1954 — FIFA World Cup Final, Wankdorf Stadium, Bern, Switzerland: Helmut Rahn scores twice as West Germany beats Hungary, 3-2.
1964 — Maria Bueno of Brazil upsets Margaret Smith of Australia 6-4, 7-9, 6-3 for the women’s title at Wimbledon.
1975 — Billie Jean King beats Evonne Goolagong, 6-0, 6-1 for her sixth and final singles title at Wimbledon.
1980 — Nolan Ryan (Houston Astros) fans Reds’ Cesar Geronimo to become 4th pitcher to 3,000 MLB strikeouts.
1982 — Jimmy Connors beats John McEnroe 3-6, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4 for the men’s singles championship at Wimbledon. The match lasts 4 hours, 16 minutes.
1987 — Martina Navratilova wins her eighth Wimbledon singles title and sixth straight, beating Steffi Graf 7-5, 6-3.
1994 — FIFA World Cup: A Bebeto strike saves Brazil from embarrassment, beat USA 1-0 at Stanford.
1999 — Pete Sampras overwhelms Andre Agassi in three sets to capture his sixth Wimbledon title and tie Roy Emerson’s record with his 12th Grand Slam championship. Sampras is the first man in the Open era with six Wimbledon titles.
2002 — Venus and Serena Williams win in straight sets to set up their third title match at a major in 10 months — and the first all-sister Wimbledon final since 1884. Top-seeded Venus, the two-time defending champion, overpowers Justine Henin 6-3, 6-2. Second-seeded Serena routs Amelie Mauresmo 6-2, 6-1 in 55 minutes.
2003 — LA Lakers basketball star Kobe Bryant is arrested in Eagle, Colorado for sexual assault, charges eventually dismissed.
2004 — UEFA European Championship Final, Estádio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal: In a huge upset Greece beats host nation Portugal, 1-0.
2004 — Meg Mallon wins the Women’s U.S. Open with a 6-under 65, the lowest final round by a champion in the 59-year history of the tournament. Mallon finishes at 10-under 274 for a two-shot victory over Annika Sorenstam.
2008 — Dara Torres completes her improbable Olympic comeback, making the U.S. team for the fifth time by winning the 100 freestyle at the U.S. Olympic trials in Omaha, Neb. The 41-year-old wins in 54.78. A nine-time medalist, she already was the first U.S. swimmer to make four Olympic teams.
2009 — Serena Williams beats her big sister Venus 7-6 (3), 6-2 for her third Wimbledon title and 11th Grand Slam championship. In the fourth all-Williams final at Wimbledon, Serena comes out on top for the third time. Later, Venus and Serena win their fourth women’s doubles title at Wimbledon and ninth Grand Slam doubles title as a pair.
2010 — Rafael Nadal beats Tomas Berdych in straight sets, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4, to win his second Wimbledon title and eighth Grand Slam championship.
2011 — Tyler Farrar becomes the first American to win a July 4 Tour de France stage, dominating a sprint finish in the third leg as teammate Thor Hushovd of Norway kept the yellow jersey.
2014 — Germany becomes the first country to reach the semifinals for a fourth straight World Cup by beating France 1-0 in a quarterfinal match settled by a first-half header from Mats Hummels.
2015 — Copa América Final, Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos, Santiago: Chile defeats Argentina, 4-1 penalties to win their first title; 0-0 after extra time.
2015 — Super Rugby Final, Westpac Stadium, Wellington: Otago Highlanders beat Wellington Hurricanes 21-14 for their first title.
2022 — Minnesota Twins turn 1st 8-5 triple play in MLB history as centerfielder Byron Buxton makes a catch and third baseman Gio Urshela tags one runner out in the basepath and doubles-off another runner by tagging second base against White Sox in Chicago.
TV SPORTS WEDNESDAY
GOLF
6:30 a.m. (Thursday)
GOLF — DP World Tour: The BMW International Open, First Round, Golfclub München Eichenried, Munich
MLB BASEBALL
7 p.m.
ESPN — 2024 BuildSubmarines.com MLB All-Star Starters Reveal Show
8 p.m.
MLBN — Regional Coverage: Philadelphia at Chicago Cubs OR San Diego at Texas
SOCCER (MEN’S)
7:30 p.m.
FS1 — Atlanta at New England
8 p.m.
CBSSN — USL League One: Madison at Richmond
10:30 p.m.
CBSSN — USL Championship: Sacramento at Las Vegas
TENNIS
6 a.m.
ESPN — ATP/WTA: Wimbledon, Second Round, London
6 a.m. (Thursday)
ESPN — ATP/WTA: Wimbledon, Second Round, London
WNBA BASKETBALL
8 p.m.NBATV — Phoenix at Dallas