“THE SCOREBOARD”
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
BALTIMORE 5 MIAMI 4
CHICAGO WHITE SOX 8 ATLANTA 1
TORONTO 7 ARIZONA 5
BOSTON 11 CHICAGO CUBS 5
COLORADO 8 NY YANKEES 7 (11)
KANSAS CITY 8 TAMPA BAY 4
TEXAS 6 CLEVELAND 5
MINNESOTA 5 OAKLAND 4
SEATTLE 2 DETROIT 0
HOUSTON 9 LA ANGELS 8
SAN FRANCISCO 8 PITTSBURGH 4 (10)
PHILADELPHIA 7 SAN DIEGO 6 (12)
MILWAUKEE 4 CINCINNATI 3
ST. LOUIS 8 WASHINGTON 4
NY METS 2 LA DODGERS 1 (10)
MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INDIANAPOLIS 11 OMAHA 4
QUAD CITIES 5 SOUTH BEND 4
FORT WAYNE 10 GREAT LAKES 9
INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL WEEK 1
FRIDAY
BIG 10 WEEKLY FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
WEEK 1
MINNESOTA VS. NEBRASKA
THURSDAY, AUG. 31
WISCONSIN VS. BUFFALO
MICHIGAN STATE VS. CENTRAL MICHIGAN
MICHIGAN VS. EAST CAROLINA
PURDUE VS. FRESNO STATE
RUTGERS VS. NORTHWESTERN
INDIANA VS. OHIO STATE
ILLINOIS VS. TOLEDO
MARYLAND VS. TOWSON
IOWA VS. UTAH STATE
PENN STATE VS. WEST VIRGINIA
WEEK 2
MARYLAND VS. CHARLOTTE
PENN STATE VS. DELAWARE
MINNESOTA VS. EASTERN MICHIGAN
ILLINOIS AT KANSAS
INDIANA VS. INDIANA STATE
IOWA AT IOWA STATE
NEBRASKA AT COLORADO
PURDUE AT VIRGINIA TECH
MICHIGAN STATE VS. RICHMOND
RUTGERS VS. TEMPLE
MICHIGAN VS. UNLV
NORTHWESTERN VS. UTEP
WISCONSIN AT WASHINGTON STATE
OHIO STATE VS. YOUNGSTOWN STATE
WEEK 3
MICHIGAN VS. BOWLING GREEN
WISCONSIN VS. GEORGIA SOUTHERN
INDIANA VS. LOUISVILLE (IN INDIANAPOLIS, IN)
MINNESOTA AT NORTH CAROLINA
NEBRASKA VS. NORTHERN ILLINOIS
NORTHWESTERN AT DUKE
ILLINOIS VS. PENN STATE
PURDUE VS. SYRACUSE
MARYLAND VS. VIRGINIA
RUTGERS VS. VIRGINIA TECH
MICHIGAN STATE VS. WASHINGTON
IOWA VS. WESTERN MICHIGAN
OHIO STATE VS. WESTERN KENTUCKY
WEEK 4
INDIANA VS. AKRON
ILLINOIS VS. FLORIDA ATLANTIC
PENN STATE VS. IOWA
NEBRASKA VS. LOUISIANA TECH
MICHIGAN STATE VS. MARYLAND
NORTHWESTERN VS. MINNESOTA
OHIO STATE AT NOTRE DAME
MICHIGAN VS. RUTGERS
PURDUE VS. WISCONSIN
WEEK 5
PURDUE VS. ILLINOIS
MARYLAND VS. INDIANA
MINNESOTA VS. LOUISIANA
NEBRASKA VS. MICHIGAN
IOWA VS. MICHIGAN STATE
NORTHWESTERN VS. PENN STATE
RUTGERS VS. WAGNER
WEEK 6
NORTHWESTERN VS. HOWARD
OHIO STATE VS. MARYLAND
MINNESOTA VS. MICHIGAN
ILLINOIS VS. NEBRASKA
IOWA VS. PURDUE
WISCONSIN VS. RUTGERS
WEEK 7
MARYLAND VS. ILLINOIS
MICHIGAN VS. INDIANA
WISCONSIN VS. IOWA
RUTGERS VS. MICHIGAN STATE
PURDUE VS. OHIO STATE
PENN STATE VS. UMASS
WEEK 8
MICHIGAN STATE VS. MICHIGAN
IOWA VS. MINNESOTA
NEBRASKA VS. NORTHWESTERN
OHIO STATE VS. PENN STATE
INDIANA VS. RUTGERS
ILLINOIS VS. WISCONSIN
WEEK 9
PENN STATE VS. INDIANA
NORTHWESTERN VS. MARYLAND
MINNESOTA VS. MICHIGAN STATE
WISCONSIN VS. OHIO STATE
NEBRASKA VS. PURDUE
WEEK 10
MINNESOTA VS. ILLINOIS
NORTHWESTERN VS. IOWA (IN CHICAGO, IL)
MICHIGAN STATE VS. NEBRASKA
RUTGERS VS. OHIO STATE
MARYLAND VS. PENN STATE
MICHIGAN VS. PURDUE
INDIANA VS. WISCONSIN
WEEK 11
ILLINOIS VS. INDIANA
NEBRASKA VS. MARYLAND
PENN STATE VS. MICHIGAN
OHIO STATE VS. MICHIGAN STATE
PURDUE VS. MINNESOTA
WISCONSIN VS. NORTHWESTERN
IOWA VS. RUTGERS
WEEK 12
IOWA VS. ILLINOIS
MARYLAND VS. MICHIGAN
INDIANA VS. MICHIGAN STATE
OHIO STATE VS. MINNESOTA
WISCONSIN VS. NEBRASKA
NORTHWESTERN VS. PURDUE
PENN STATE VS. RUTGERS
WEEK 13
NEBRASKA VS. IOWA
FRIDAY, NOV. 24
PURDUE VS. INDIANA
RUTGERS VS. MARYLAND
ILLINOIS VS. NORTHWESTERN
MICHIGAN VS. OHIO STATE
MICHIGAN STATE VS. PENN STATE
MINNESOTA VS. WISCONSIN
COLLEGE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
WEEK 0
SATURDAY, AUG. 26
NOTRE DAME VS. NAVY (DUBLIN, IRELAND) | 2:30 P.M. | NBC
MERCER VS. NORTH ALABAMA (MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA) | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN
JACKSONVILLE STATE VS. UTEP | 5:30 P.M. | CBSSN
NEW MEXICO STATE VS. UMASS | 7 P.M. | ESPN
SAN DIEGO STATE VS. OHIO | 7 P.M. | FS1
VANDERBILT VS. HAWAI’I | 7:30 P.M. | SEC NETWORK
JACKSON STATE VS. SOUTH CAROLINA STATE (ATLANTA, GEORGIA) | 7:30 P.M. | ABC
USC VS. SAN JOSE STATE | 8 P.M. | PAC-12 NETWORK
LOUISIANA TECH VS. FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL | 9 P.M. | CBSSN
WEEK 1
THURSDAY, AUG. 31
WAKE FOREST VS. ELON | 7 P.M. | ACC NETWORK
UCF VS. KENT STATE | 7 P.M. | FS1
GEORGIA STATE VS. RHODE ISLAND | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
WESTERN MICHIGAN VS. ST. FRANCIS (PA) | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
UCONN VS. NC STATE | 7:30 P.M. | CBSSN
MINNESOTA VS. NEBRASKA | 8 P.M. | FOX
MISSOURI VS. SOUTH DAKOTA | 8 P.M. | SEC NETWORK
UTAH VS. FLORIDA | 8 P.M. | ESPN
TULSA VS. ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF | 8 P.M. | ESPN+
UAB VS. NORTH CAROLINA A&T | 8 P.M. | ESPN+
ARIZONA STATE VS. SOUTHERN UTAH | 10 P.M. | PAC-12 NETWORK
FRIDAY, SEPT. 1
EASTERN MICHIGAN VS. HOWARD | 6:30 P.M. | ESPN+
MICHIGAN STATE VS. CENTRAL MICHIGAN | 7 P.M. | FS1
MIAMI (FLA.) VS. MIAMI (OHIO) | 7 P.M. | ACC NETWORK
GEORGIA TECH VS. LOUISVILLE (MERCEDES-BENZ STADIUM IN ATLANTA) | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN
KANSAS VS. MISSOURI STATE | 8 P.M. | ESPN+
HAWAI’I VS. STANFORD | 11 P.M. | CBSSN
SATURDAY, SEPT. 2
IOWA VS. UTAH STATE | 12 P.M. | FS1
KENTUCKY VS. BALL STATE | 12 P.M. | SEC NETWORK
LIBERTY VS. BOWLING GREEN | 12 P.M. | CBSSN
MICHIGAN VS. EAST CAROLINA | 12 P.M. | PEACOCK
PURDUE VS. FRESNO STATE | 12 P.M. | BIG TEN NETWORK
SMU VS. LOUISIANA TECH | 12 P.M. | ESPNU
TENNESSEE VS. VIRGINIA (NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE) | 12 P.M. | ABC
TCU VS. COLORADO | 12 P.M. | FOX
BOSTON COLLEGE VS. NORTHERN ILLINOIS | 12 P.M. | ACC NETWORK
OKLAHOMA VS. ARKANSAS STATE | 12 P.M. | ESPN
OLE MISS VS. MERCER | 2 P.M. | ESPN+/SECN+
IOWA STATE VS. UNI | 2 P.M. | ESPN+
TEMPLE VS. AKRON | 2 P.M. | ESPN+
OHIO VS. LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY | 2 P.M. | ESPN+
AIR FORCE VS. ROBERT MORRIS | 2 P.M. | ALTITUDE SPORTS
OREGON VS. PORTLAND STATE | 3 P.M. | PAC-12 NETWORK
INDIANA VS. OHIO STATE | 3:30 P.M. | CBS
AUBURN VS. UMASS | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN
MARYLAND VS. TOWSON | 3:30 P.M. | BIG TEN NETWORK
WISCONSIN VS. BUFFALO | 3:30 P.M. | FS1
WESTERN KENTUCKY VS. SOUTH FLORIDA | 3:30 P.M. | CBSSN
WASHINGTON VS. BOISE STATE | 3:30 P.M. | ABC
NOTRE DAME VS. TENNESSEE STATE | 3:30 P.M. | NBC
PITT VS. WOFFORD | 3:30 P.M. | ACC NETWORK
CINCINNATI VS. EASTERN KENTUCKY | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN+
TEXAS VS. RICE | 3:30 P.M. | FOX
APPALACHIAN STATE VS. GARDNER-WEBB | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN+
ARKANSAS VS. WESTERN CAROLINA | 4 P.M. | ESPN+/SECN+
MISSISSIPPI STATE VS. SE LOUISIANA | 4 P.M. | SEC NETWORK
NORTH TEXAS VS. CAL | 4 P.M. | ESPNU
SYRACUSE VS. COLGATE | 4 P.M. | ESPN+/ACCNX
GEORGIA VS. UT MARTIN | 6 P.M. | ESPN+/SECN+
CHARLOTTE VS. SOUTH CAROLINA STATE | 6 P.M. | ESPN+
FLORIDA ATLANTIC VS. MONMOUTH | 6 P.M. | ESPN+
GEORGIA SOUTHERN VS. THE CITADEL | 6 P.M. | ESPN+
JAMES MADISON VS. BUCKNELL | 6 P.M. | ESPN+
MARSHALL VS. ALBANY | 6 P.M. | ESPN+
FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL VS. MAINE | 6:30 P.M. | ESPN+
USC VS. NEVADA | 6:30 P.M. | PAC-12 NETWORK
TEXAS A&M VS. NEW MEXICO | 7 P.M. | ESPN
UL MONROE VS. ARMY | 7 P.M. | NFL NETWORK
VANDERBILT VS. ALABAMA A&M | 7 P.M. | ESPN+/SECN+
COLORADO STATE VS. WASHINGTON STATE | 7 P.M. | CBSSN
BAYLOR VS. TEXAS STATE | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
HOUSTON VS. UTSA | 7 P.M. | FS1
KANSAS STATE VS. SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
OKLAHOMA STATE VS. CENTRAL ARKANSAS | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
MEMPHIS VS. BETHUNE-COOKMAN | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
SOUTHERN MISS VS. ALCORN STATE | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
TROY VS. STEPHEN F. AUSTIN | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
ALABAMA VS. MIDDLE TENNESSEE | 7:30 P.M. | SEC NETWORK
ILLINOIS VS. TOLEDO | 7:30 P.M. | BIG TEN NETWORK
SOUTH CAROLINA VS. NORTH CAROLINA (CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA) | 7:30 P.M. | ABC
PENN STATE VS. WEST VIRGINIA | 7:30 P.M. | NBC
WYOMING VS. TEXAS TECH | 7:30 P.M. | CBS
LOUISIANA VS. NORTHWESTERN STATE | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN+
VIRGINIA TECH VS. OLD DOMINION | 8 P.M. | ACC NETWORK
TULANE VS. SOUTH ALABAMA | 8 P.M. | ESPNU
NEW MEXICO STATE VS. WESTERN ILLINOIS | 9 P.M. | ESPN+
UTEP VS. UIW | 9 P.M. | ESPN+
ARIZONA VS. NORTHERN ARIZONA | 10 P.M. | PAC-12 NETWORK
BYU VS. SAM HOUSTON | 10:15 P.M. | FS1
UCLA VS. COASTAL CAROLINA | 10:30 P.M. | ESPN
SAN DIEGO STATE VS. IDAHO STATE | 10:30 P.M. | CBSSN
SUNDAY, SEPT. 3
RUTGERS VS. NORTHWESTERN | 12 P.M. | CBS
SAN JOSE STATE VS. OREGON STATE | 3:30 P.M. | CBS
FLORIDA STATE VS. LSU (ORLANDO, FLORIDA) | 7:30 P.M. | ABC
MONDAY, SEPT. 4
DUKE VS. CLEMSON | 8 P.M. | ESPN
COLTS TRAINING CAMP SCHEDULE
WEDNESDAY, JULY 26 – 10-11 A.M.
SATURDAY, AUG. 5 – 6-7:30 P.M.
SUNDAY, AUG. 6 – 2-3:45 P.M.
SATURDAY, AUG. 5 – 6-7:30 P.M.
SUNDAY, AUG. 6 – 2-3:45 P.M.
TUESDAY, AUG. 8 – 9-10:30 A.M.
THURSDAY, AUG. 10 – 9-10 A.M.
TUESDAY, AUG. 15 – 9-10 A.M.
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 16 – 6-8 P.M.
THURSDAY, AUG. 17 – 6-8 P.M.
NFL PRE-SEASON SCHEDULE
NFL/HALL OF FAME GAME – AUGUST 3
N.Y. JETS VS. CLEVELAND (NBC), 8:00
WEEK 1
THURSDAY, AUGUST 10
HOUSTON AT NEW ENGLAND, 7:00
MINNESOTA AT SEATTLE, 10:00
FRIDAY, AUGUST 11
N.Y. GIANTS AT DETROIT, 7:00
GREEN BAY AT CINCINNATI, 7:00
ATLANTA AT MIAMI, 7:00
PITTSBURGH AT TAMPA BAY, 7:00
WASHINGTON AT CLEVELAND, 7:30
DENVER AT ARIZONA, 10:00
SATURDAY, AUGUST 12
INDIANAPOLIS AT BUFFALO, 1:00
TENNESSEE AT CHICAGO, 1:00
N.Y. JETS AT CAROLINA, 4:00
JACKSONVILLE AT DALLAS, 5:00
PHILADELPHIA AT BALTIMORE, 7:00
L.A. CHARGERS AT L.A. RAMS, 9:00
SUNDAY, AUGUST 13
KANSAS CITY AT NEW ORLEANS, 1:00
SAN FRANCISCO AT LAS VEGAS, 4:00
WEEK 2
THURSDAY, AUGUST 17
CLEVELAND AT PHILADELPHIA, 7:30
FRIDAY, AUGUST 18
CAROLINA AT N.Y. GIANTS, 7:00
CINCINNATI AT ATLANTA, 7:30
SATURDAY, AUGUST 19
JACKSONVILLE AT DETROIT, 1:00
MIAMI AT HOUSTON, 4:00
BUFFALO AT PITTSBURGH, 6:30
CHICAGO AT INDIANAPOLIS, 7:00
TAMPA BAY AT N.Y. JETS, 7:30
KANSAS CITY AT ARIZONA, 8:00
NEW ENGLAND AT GREEN BAY, 8:00
TENNESSEE AT MINNESOTA, 8:00
DENVER AT SAN FRANCISCO, 8:30
LAS VEGAS AT L.A. RAMS, 9:00
DALLAS AT SEATTLE, 10:00
SUNDAY, AUGUST 20
NEW ORLEANS AT L.A. CHARGERS, 7:05
MONDAY, AUGUST 21
BALTIMORE AT WASHINGTON (ESPN), 8:00
WEEK 3
THURSDAY, AUGUST 24
PITTSBURGH AT ATLANTA, 7:30
INDIANAPOLIS AT PHILADELPHIA (PRIME VIDEO), 8:00
FRIDAY, AUGUST 25
DETROIT AT CAROLINA (CBS), 8:00
NEW ENGLAND AT TENNESSEE, 8:15
L.A. CHARGERS AT SAN FRANCISCO, 10:00
SATURDAY, AUGUST 26
BUFFALO AT CHICAGO, 1:00
SEATTLE AT GREEN BAY, 1:00
CLEVELAND AT KANSAS CITY, 1:00
ARIZONA AT MINNESOTA, 1:00
N.Y. JETS AT N.Y. GIANTS, 6:00
CINCINNATI AT WASHINGTON, 6:05
MIAMI AT JACKSONVILLE, 7:00
BALTIMORE AT TAMPA BAY, 7:00
LAS VEGAS AT DALLAS, 8:00
L.A. RAMS AT DENVER, 9:00
SUNDAY, AUGUST 27
HOUSTON AT NEW ORLEANS (FOX), 8:00
WEEK 1 REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE
DETROIT LIONS AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (THU) 7:20P (CT) 8:20P NBC
CAROLINA PANTHERS AT ATLANTA FALCONS 1:00P (ET) 1:00P FOX
HOUSTON TEXANS AT BALTIMORE RAVENS 1:00P (ET) 1:00P CBS
CINCINNATI BENGALS AT CLEVELAND BROWNS 1:00P (ET) 1:00P CBS
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS 1:00P (ET) 1:00P FOX
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS AT MINNESOTA VIKINGS 12:00P (CT) 1:00P CBS
TENNESSEE TITANS AT NEW ORLEANS SAINTS 12:00P (CT) 1:00P CBS
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS 1:00P (ET) 1:00P FOX
ARIZONA CARDINALS AT WASHINGTON COMMANDERS 1:00P (ET) 1:00P FOX
GREEN BAY PACKERS AT CHICAGO BEARS 3:25P (CT) 4:25P FOX
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS AT DENVER BRONCOS 2:25P (MT) 4:25P CBS
MIAMI DOLPHINS AT LOS ANGELES CHARGERS 1:25P (PT) 4:25P CBS
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 4:25P (ET) 4:25P CBS
LOS ANGELES RAMS AT SEATTLE SEAHAWKS 1:25P (PT) 4:25P FOX
DALLAS COWBOYS AT NEW YORK GIANTS 8:20P (ET) 8:20P NBC
BUFFALO BILLS AT NEW YORK JETS (MON) 8:15P (ET) 8:15P ESPN/ABC
TOP NATIONAL RELEASES/HEADLINES
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
MLB ROUNDUP: ROCKIES STUN YANKS IN BOTTOM OF 11TH
Alan Trejo hit a walk-off homer in the 11th inning, C.J. Cron hit a grand slam, and the Colorado Rockies rallied to beat the New York Yankees 8-7 in Denver on Sunday.
The Yankees got RBI singles from Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza in the top of the 11th inning, but Nolan Jones hit a two-run homer leading off the bottom of the frame against Nick Ramirez.
After Ramirez retired the next two batters, Ron Marinaccio (4-5) entered to face Trejo, who ended the game with a 421-foot blast to left-center on a 2-0 pitch. It was his first homer of the season.
Michael Toglia also went deep for Colorado, which got two hits from Jones. Gavin Hollowell (1-0) got the win. Cabrera and Gleyber Torres each had two hits for New York in the rubber game of a three-game series.
Mets 2, Dodgers 1 (10 innings)
Luis Guillorme delivered the walk-off RBI double in the 10th inning for host New York, which snapped a four-game losing streak by defeating Los Angeles. The Dodgers’ six-game winning streak was snapped.
Guillorme, pinch-hitting for Mark Canha with automatic runner Brett Baty at second, failed to put the ball in play on consecutive bunt attempts against Nick Robertson (0-1). Guillorme then doubled down the first base line past a drawn-in Freddie Freeman to easily score Baty.
David Robertson (4-2) allowed one hit over two scoreless innings and stranded automatic runner James Outman at third in the top of the 10th.
Giants 8, Pirates 4 (10 innings)
Michael Conforto and Patrick Bailey each hit a two-run double in a five-run 10th inning to give visiting San Francisco a three-game sweep of Pittsburgh.
Giants starter Alex Wood pitched 3 2/3 innings, allowing one run and five hits. Ryan Walker (3-0) pitched a scoreless bottom of the ninth.
Bryan Reynolds and Henry Davis each hit an RBI single and Jared Triolo drove in two runs for the Pirates. Yerry De Los Santos (0-1) yielded five runs, four earned, in his lone inning.
Orioles 5, Marlins 4
Kyle Bradish pitched 7 1/3 shutout innings while holding Miami to three hits as host Baltimore stretched its winning streak to eight games. Bradish has tossed 13 1/3 innings without giving up a run across his past two starts.
Anthony Santander homered as the Orioles made the most of their five hits and three walks on the way to completing a sweep of the three-game series.
The Marlins, who have lost five of their past seven games, received a positive performance from reliever Johnny Cueto in his first appearance since early April and just his second outing of the season. He came off the injured list and threw three shutout innings while allowing one hit.
White Sox 8, Braves 1
Luis Robert Jr. launched a two-run homer among his four hits and Jake Burger went deep for his second consecutive game as visiting Chicago routed Atlanta.
Burger’s two-run shot started the scoring in a four-run second inning, and Robert’s blast pushed the lead to 8-1 in the sixth. Robert finished with three RBIs, and Andrew Benintendi added three hits, three runs and an RBI for the White Sox. It was Benintendi’s second straight three-hit game.
Matt Olson singled in a run for the Braves in the third inning, his NL-leading 77th RBI. Atlanta lost its first series since dropping two of three games in Oakland in late May, and also saw its home run streak end at 28 games, three shy of the major league record.
Rangers 6, Guardians 5
Josh Jung capped a four-run eighth inning with a two-run single as Texas completed a comeback victory over Cleveland in Arlington, Texas.
Will Smith earned his 16th save with a scoreless ninth inning as the Rangers capped a three-game sweep. Reliever Cody Bradford (2-1) pitched three innings of two-run ball for the win.
Guardians reliever Trevor Stephan (4-4) entered in the eighth and recorded just one out while yielding four runs. Cleveland’s Steven Kwan finished with four hits, including a homer, and three RBIs.
Blue Jays 7, Diamondbacks 5
Vladimir Guerrero’s sacrifice fly scored the go-ahead run and Danny Jansen added a three-run double as Toronto recorded a victory over visiting Arizona to complete a three-game sweep.
Santiago Espinal and Kevin Kiermaier both had two hits and one RBI as Toronto won its fourth straight game and eighth in its past nine. Jansen and George Springer also had two hits for the Blue Jays.
Ketel Marte had a three-run double and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. had two hits and scored once for the Diamondbacks, who have lost four consecutive contests and eight of their past 10.
Brewers 4, Reds 3
Christian Yelich homered and drove in two runs and three relievers combined on 3 1/3 scoreless innings as visiting Milwaukee rallied to defeat Cincinnati and complete a three-game sweep.
The Brewers’ bullpen was the story of the three Milwaukee wins, holding the Reds scoreless for a total of 9 1/3 innings. Devin Williams saved all three games, including Sunday’s win for his 23rd save in 25 chances this season.
Milwaukee holds a two-game lead over Cincinnati in the National League Central and has beaten the Reds in eight of their 10 meetings. Matt McLain had three hits for Cincinnati, which lost its fourth straight and fifth in six games after winning 20 of 24.
Phillies 7, Padres 6 (12 innings)
Kyle Schwarber hit a walk-off sacrifice fly to left field to score Edmundo Sosa and host Philadelphia defeated San Diego in 12 innings. The game was delayed by rain for 2 hours, 56 minutes by rain at the start.
Schwarber also homered, as did teammate Bryson Stott. Bryce Harper, Brandon Marsh and Stott each had two hits for the Phillies, who won the last three games of the four-game series. Jeff Hoffman (3-1) tossed two scoreless innings to earn the victory.
Ha-Seong Kim hit a home run and a double and Xander Bogaerts also homered for the Padres. Fernando Tatis Jr. added a two-run single and Trent Grisham had two doubles and an RBI.
Royals 8, Rays 4
Bobby Witt Jr. and Drew Waters both homered and tripled to power host Kansas City to a victory that avoided a series sweep by Tampa Bay.
The Rays entered the game averaging 5.4 runs per game, but they were shut down early by Brady Singer, while the Royals jumped on Tampa Bay ace Zach Eflin, who hadn’t allowed more than four runs in any of his 17 previous starts this season.
Singer worked eight innings, allowing four runs on seven hits. Eflin was chased from the game after throwing a season-low three innings, allowing five runs on seven hits.
Cardinals 8, Nationals 4
Nolan Gorman had a homer, two runs and two RBIs as St. Louis rolled past visiting Washington.
Paul Goldschmidt hit a two-run homer for the Cardinals, who took two of three games for their second straight series win. St. Louis starter Jack Flaherty (7-5) allowed three runs on three hits in six innings.
Josiah Gray (6-8) allowed four runs on 10 hits in five innings for the Nationals, who got two RBIs each from Dominic Smith and Keibert Ruiz.
Red Sox 11, Cubs 5
Masataka Yoshida clubbed a grand slam and Kutter Crawford logged six shutout innings as Boston beat host Chicago in the rubber match of a three-game series.
Yoshida also singled and smacked a two-run triple to finish with six RBIs. Rafael Devers and Triston Casas also went deep for the Red Sox, who are 10-2 since June 30. Crawford allowed just one hit and walked four while picking up a career-high nine strikeouts.
Mike Tauchman went 2-for-2 with an RBI, two runs and three walks for the Cubs.
Twins 5, Athletics 4
Alex Kirilloff capped a four-RBI day out of the No. 9 slot in the order with a bases-clearing double in the seventh inning, allowing visiting Minnesota to overtake Oakland and complete a three-game series sweep.
Kirilloff belted his double to left field, plating all three baserunners and giving the Twins a 5-3 lead.
Oakland got within 5-4 on a two-out double by Zack Gelof in the last of the seventh. Minnesota’s Jhoan Duran recorded his third consecutive save in the series by throwing a scoreless ninth.
Mariners 2, Tigers 0
Rookie Bryce Miller pitched five scoreless innings in his return from the injured list as Seattle defeated visiting Detroit.
Miller (6-3), who left his previous start June 30 because of a blister on his right middle finger, allowed five hits, walked one and struck out three. Cal Raleigh homered and J.P. Crawford went 3-for-3 with two doubles for the Mariners, who salvaged the finale of the three-game series.
Tigers rookie Reese Olson (1-3) pitched well in defeat, allowing two runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings.
MEN’S TENNIS
CARLOS ALCARAZ BEATS NOVAK DJOKOVIC IN 5 SETS TO WIN WIMBLEDON FOR HIS SECOND MAJOR TROPHY
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) – Carlos Alcaraz said he wanted another shot at Novak Djokovic. Said it would make winning a Wimbledon championship more special. Well, Alcaraz got his chance to face Djokovic. And he beat him.
Alcaraz put aside a poor start and surged down the stretch to end Djokovic’s 34-match winning streak at the All England Club by edging him 1-6, 7-6 (6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 in an engaging, back-and-forth final on Sunday, claiming his first title at Wimbledon and second Grand Slam trophy overall.
The No. 1-ranked Alcaraz prevented No. 2 Djokovic from collecting what would have been a record-tying eighth title, and fifth in a row, at the grass-court tournament. Djokovic also was kept from earning a 24th career major.
“Playing a final against a legend of our sport – for me, it’s incredible,” said Alcaraz, who was competing in just his fourth career event on grass.
“I have to congratulate Novak. It’s amazing to play against him. What can I say about him? It’s unbelievable. You inspire me a lot. I started playing tennis watching you,” Alcaraz said, then joked: “I mean, since I was born, you already were winning tournaments.”
That’s not exactly accurate. Still, instead of Djokovic, a 36-year-old from Serbia, becoming the oldest male champion at Wimbledon in the Open era, Alcaraz, a 20-year-old from Spain, became the third-youngest. The age gap between the two was the widest in any men’s Slam final since 1974.
So Alcaraz had youth on his side, which he also did, of course, when they met at the French Open last month. That one was extraordinary for two sets before Alcaraz cramped up and faded. This time, he had the stamina and the strokes to get past Djokovic.
“You never like to lose matches like this. I guess when all the emotions are settled, I have to still be very grateful because I won many, many tight and close matches in the past here,” said Djokovic, whose last loss at Wimbledon was in 2017.
“I lost to a better player,” said Djokovic, who paused to wipe away tears, “so I have to congratulate him.”
Alcaraz is faster and capable of more power – serves topping 130 mph, forehands topping 100 mph – but Djokovic is equipped with an abundance of talents and so much muscle memory. He’s been there, and done that, in ways Alcaraz, for now, can only dream of.
But if this victory on a windy and cloudy day at Centre Court, where Djokovic last lost in the 2013 final, was any indication, Alcaraz is on his way to achieving quite a bit himself.
Still, this is all relatively new to him: Djokovic’s record 35th Grand Slam final was Alcaraz’s second.
Yet it was Alcaraz who won a 32-point, 25-minute mini-masterpiece of a game on the way to taking the third set. It was Alcaraz who was not intimidated when Djokovic forced things to a fifth set.
And it was Alcaraz who moved out front for good by breaking to go up 2-1 in the fifth with a backhand passing winner. Djokovic, who fell during the point but quickly popped back up, reacted by slamming his racket into the net post, letting go on impact. He destroyed his equipment and earned a code violation from chair umpire Fergus Murphy.
They would play on for another 24 minutes, bringing the total to more than 4 1/2 hours, but Alcaraz never relented, never gave way. And it was Alcaraz, not Djokovic, who covered his face and rolled in the grass after the final point, then received the gold trophy.
“What quality in the end of the match,” Djokovic told Alcaraz during the post-match ceremony. “You deserve it, absolutely.”
Alcaraz possesses a sledgehammer of a forehand, one he unleashes in such a manner as to make an observer believe every ounce of strength, indeed every fiber of his being, is invested in each swing. The smack of the racket, and his “Uhhh-ehhh!” exhale of exertion – along with the gasps of impressed onlookers – reverberated around the arena on Sunday.
That’s not to say, of course, that Alcaraz’s attributes end at that big forehand. He is so much more than that, displaying as varied an all-court game as possible, which is why stardom is predicted of him. He does everything well, including well-disguised drop shots that helped him get back into the thick of it in the second and third sets.
Djokovic, of course, already has achieved greatness, spending more weeks at No. 1 than any man or woman in the half-century history of the computerized rankings and accumulating those 23 Grand Slam triumphs – one more than Rafael Nadal and three more than Roger Federer, the only man with eight Wimbledon titles.
So often on Sunday, Djokovic would hustle and stretch and slide nearly into the splits to get Alcaraz’s apparent point-ending shots back over the net in ways no one else could.
Things began to shift, though, at 4-all in the second set. Djokovic slipped on a worn patch behind the baseline under the Royal Box, flinging his racket away as he fell. At the next changeover, Djokovic flexed one leg by bending it over the other. Before heading back on court to resume play, he plopped his left heel on the net for additional stretching. Soon, his legs were not providing quite the same coverage they had been, the force of his forehand was reduced.
They would head to a tiebreaker, Djokovic’s dominion: He had won all six such set-enders he played at Wimbledon leading up to the final, and 15 straight in Grand Slam action, dating to the Australian Open.
This time, Djokovic had a set point while ahead 6-5 in the tiebreaker, sparking the day’s first chants of his two-syllable nickname from his backers: “No-le! No-le!” But he put a backhand into the net to make it 6-all, and as the players switched sides, a competing chorus of “Car-los! Car-los!” emerged.
Another backhand into the net from Djokovic put Alcaraz within a point of the set. He converted by striking a backhand passing winner off the return of a 118 mph serve, then held the pose of his follow-through. As people in the stands rose to roar, Alcaraz spun around with his right hand to his ear, soaking in the moment.
Two hours and two sets in.
One set each.
Now it was a match.
Now this began to feel memorable.
The fifth game of the third set might have been worth the high price of admission, in and of itself. Neither man wanted to bend. Neither wanted to cede a thing. It was one game, yes, but it felt far more meaningful than that.
When Djokovic slapped a forehand into net to give Alcaraz a break – one of five in the match, more than the three combined that Djokovic’s previous six opponents managed across 103 service games over the past two weeks – and a 4-1 edge in the set, the Spaniard threw his head back and screamed, “Vamos!”
Djokovic headed to the locker room with a white equipment bag slung over his right shoulder. He’s used these sorts of intermissions to gather himself and shift momentum and, sure enough, he pushed this terrific match to a fifth set.
One of several reasons to like Djokovic’s chances at that juncture: He went into Sunday with a 10-1 record in five-setters at Wimbledon and 35-9 at all majors.
Those matches, however, were in the past.
Alcaraz is the future.
“I’ve learned really, really fast,” said Alcaraz, who got a hug from Spain’s King Felipe VI afterward, “and I’m really, really proud.”
NFL NEWS
TITANS LANDING 3-TIME ALL-PRO RECEIVER DEANDRE HOPKINS, AP SOURCE SAYS
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) The Tennessee Titans hope they’ve filled their major need at wide receiver with three-time All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, agreeing to terms on a two-year deal worth $26 million with incentives that could push that to $32 million, a person familiar with the agreement said Sunday.
The Titans had the advantage of being the first NFL team Hopkins visited after being released by Arizona in May. Hopkins arrived in Nashville in June and documented on social media his visit to CMA Fest’s final night at Nissan Stadium, where the Titans play. Hopkins also visited the New England Patriots later that week.
The deal was first reported by AtoZSports. The person confirmed the agreement to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because Hopkins has not signed the contract.
Hopkins, who turned 31 on June 6, would bring much-needed experience to Tennessee’s young wide receiving group. Head coach Mike Vrabel had more career touchdown catches with 12 in his own NFL career as a linebacker than anyone currently on the Titans’ roster.
The three-time All-Pro would have led Tennessee last season with his 64 catches for 717 yards for Arizona despite a six-game suspension after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. He also missed the final two games with a knee injury.
Arizona released the five-time Pro Bowl receiver in a salary cap move May 26 after failing to find a trade partner in the offseason.
The Cardinals cut Hopkins three seasons after acquiring him in a blockbuster trade with Houston in 2020, and they had signed him to a $54.5 million extension through 2024. Hopkins would have counted close to $31 million against the cap for Arizona, which still took on a dead cap hit of $22.6 million.
Hopkins ranks 36th in NFL history with 11,298 yards receiving in his 10 seasons over 145 games. He immediately became a popular free agent, with his former Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson making a pitch for the receiver to join him in Cleveland.
Both Vrabel and new offensive coordinator Tim Kelly worked in Houston during Hopkins’ tenure with the Texans. Vrabel was busy Sunday playing in the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament in Nevada with Pat McAfee.
“I did know the news. I’m the head coach. I actually knew the news yesterday …,” Vrabel told McAfee. “The whole nine I didn’t want to give it to you. … Looks like it happened.”
Hopkins shared a photo of him with Titans running back Derrick Henry on social media on Sunday. Hopkins followed up later Sunday night on social media defending his choice of Tennessee as a free agent.
“I always loved having haters and doubters but I appreciate it even more now. Titan up!!” Hopkins wrote.
He would join a receivers’ room currently led by Treylon Burks, the 18th pick overall in the 2022 draft. Burks was the player taken with the selection acquired when Tennessee traded A.J. Brown to Philadelphia. The general manager that made that move was fired Dec. 6.
New general manager Ran Carthon used one draft pick in April on a receiver, taking Colton Dowell in the seventh round. He also signed veteran Chris Moore, whose 548 yards receiving would have led the Titans last season. Their returning receivers combined for 69 catches for 962 yards and four touchdowns.
The Titans also have veteran quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who turns 35 in July, and three-time Pro Bowl running back Henry – both going into the final seasons on their current contracts.
The last time Tennessee added a 31-year-old wide receiver with 10 years of NFL experience didn’t work out so well. It traded for Julio Jones in June 2021 and cut him after one season. A hamstring issue limited Jones to the worst season of his career, with 31 catches for 434 yards and one touchdown.
EVAN ENGRAM AND THE JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS AGREE TO A 3-YEAR, $41.25M DEAL, AP SOURCE SAYS
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) Tight end Evan Engram and the Jacksonville Jaguars agreed Sunday to a three-year, $41.25 million contract that includes $24 million guaranteed, according to a person familiar with negotiations.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been signed or made public. His agent, Mike McCartney, announced via Twitter that the deal had been reached. Engram weighed in a few minutes later by posting a picture of himself at Everbank Field with the caption “I’m home” along with a praying hands emoji.
The sides beat a Monday afternoon deadline for franchise-tagged players to sign long-term deals.
Engram had been guaranteed a one-year, $11.345 million deal this season under the franchise tag. But he and the team had been vocal about wanting a long-term deal. Now, Engram will be a key part of Jacksonville’s push to repeat as AFC South champions – and beyond.
His new average salary of $13.75 million puts him sixth at the position, trailing Darren Waller, George Kittle, Travis Kelce, Dallas Goedert and Mark Andrews.
Bringing back Engram, a first-round draft pick by the New York Giants in 2017, never really was in question after he caught 73 passes for 766 yards – both career highs – to go along with four touchdowns last season.
Engram developed an instant chemistry with quarterback Trevor Lawrence and a strong bond with receivers Christian Kirk and Zay Jones. The Jaguars expect even bigger things in the core’s second season together, especially with the addition of former Atlanta receiver Calvin Ridley.
Engram signed a one-year, $9 million contract with the Jags in 2022. General manager Trent Baalke wanted a longer deal, but Engram believed he would flourish with a fresh start outside New York’s glaring – and often harsh – spotlight, so he took less money in hopes of landing a bigger payday.
It turned out to be a good bet for a talented player who had five injury-shortened seasons with the Giants.
In his first season in Jacksonville, he played every game for the first time in his pro career, didn’t fumble and finished with just four dropped passes.
WR DESEAN JACKSON HINTS AT RETIREMENT AFTER 15 SEASONS
Three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver DeSean Jackson appeared to hint on social media that his NFL playing career has come to a close.
“Did it my way 15 years strong!! Neva anotha like it! #0ne0fone,” Jackson wrote Sunday morning on Instagram.
Jackson, 36, had nine catches for 153 yards in seven games (one start) last season with the Baltimore Ravens.
Jackson has 641 receptions for 11,263 yards and 91 touchdowns in 183 games (159 starts) with the Philadelphia Eagles (2008-13, 2019-20), Washington franchise (2014-16), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2017-18), Los Angeles Rams (2021), Las Vegas Raiders (2021) and Ravens (2022).
A second-round pick by the Eagles in 2008, Jackson led the NFL in yards per reception in 2010, 2014, 2016 and 2018.
NFL PREVIEW: BUFFALO BILLS
The Buffalo Bills have hit a wall after back-to-back playoff seasons that ended in the divisional round.
It wasn’t that long ago that the Bills were the surging squad, with a bright future under quarterback Josh Allen and wide receiver Stefon Diggs. But now it seems their Super Bowl window is closing fast.
The Bills have gone backwards since losing the AFC title game to the Chiefs during the 2020 season. They then lost a thrilling divisional round game to the Chiefs the following season and were embarrassed by the Bengals in the same round last year.
But Buffalo still has a talented roster behind Allen and Diggs. Gabe Davis is inconsistent at times, but he’s a solid No. 2 wideout. The offense could also receive a boost from the arrival of this year’s first-round pick, tight end Dalton Kincaid. And Dion Dawkins, a two-time Pro Bowler, is one of the best left tackles in the league.
On the defensive side, the Bills kept the safety duo of Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde intact after re-signing Poyer during free agency. Buffalo lost linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, who signed with the Bears this offseason, and instead will lean on Matt Milano, who had a breakout 2023 season while being named a first-team All-Pro linebacker.
Perhaps it’s an exaggeration to say the Bills’ Super Bowl window is closing fast, but it sure seems that way with how the Diggs situation has developed in the past month.
Biggest gamble this offseason: Making it work with Diggs
Allen recently asked the media to stop talking about the Diggs situation, claiming there’s nothing to be concerned about. But his team made it a big deal when Bills coach Sean McDermott said he was “very concerned,” and when Diggs was seen on the sideline screaming at his quarterback during the aforementioned playoff loss to the Bengals. The Bills clearly need to get their offense back on the same page, starting with Diggs, and then with offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey. Buffalo’s offense regressed last year, and it especially struggled down the stretch during the transition season from Brian Daboll, who left to become the head coach of the Giants, to Dorsey. McDermott took a gamble by retaining Dorsey as his offensive play-caller, but that might not matter if the two coaches can’t get Diggs to buy in for 2023.
Toughest stretch of the season: Weeks 11 to 18
The Bills have a balanced schedule for the first 10 games, but they may have the toughest schedule when it comes to the final seven. They host Aaron Rodgers and the Jets in Week 11, followed by back-to-back road games vs. Jalen Hurts and the Eagles, then Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. Luckily for the Bills, they get a bye week in Week 13 before facing the Cowboys at home, the Chargers on the road, the Patriots at home and the Dolphins on the road to end the season. Winning the AFC East for a fourth consecutive season will be a challenge for the Bills with their tough schedule to end the year.
Breakout player to watch: Edge rusher Gregory Rousseau
The Bills missed Von Miller down the stretch last season, but it provided an opportunity for Rousseau, a 2021 first-round pick, to step up in Miller’s absence. Rousseau flashed with eight sacks, 10 tackles for loss and 14 quarterback hits during his second season. Now the Bills need him to be a consistent playmaker while Miller continues his recovery from the torn ACL he sustained in November. Buffalo also has A.J. Epenesa, and it recently added Leonard Floyd for depth.
Position of strength: Interior defensive line
Ed Oliver has had many highs and lows since Buffalo drafted him with the No. 9 pick in 2019, but the Bills proved the value they see in him by signing the defensive tackle to a four-year, $68 million contract extension last season. Oliver made many splash plays after he fully recovered from an ankle injury that hindered him to start the ’22 season. He, alongside DaQuan Jones, was instrumental in the Bills allowing only 104.6 rushing yards per game last season (fifth best in the league). Buffalo also has depth at the position with Jordan Phillips, Tim Settle and the addition of Poona Ford.
Position of weakness: Cornerback
The cornerback position was an issue for Buffalo last season, with then-rookie Kaiir Elam struggling to find his footing and Tre’Davious White being limited to six games due to injury. White is a two-time Pro Bowler, but he hasn’t played more than 11 games in a season since 2020. Elam failed to crack the starting rotation to open the ’22 season, but he ended his rookie season with six starts, two interceptions and 41 total tackles. The Bills will need the two cornerbacks to be consistent—and available—if they want to earn a playoff spot in the rugged AFC, which features many star quarterbacks.
X-factor: RB James Cook
Allen is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, but he’s erratic at times, mainly because he finds himself having to carry the offense with a stagnant rushing attack. But the Bills should have seen enough flashes in Cook during his rookie season to make him the lead back this season. The 2022 second-round pick recorded 507 rushing yards and averaged 5.7 yards per carry in his 89 attempts. If he develops into a productive playmaker, perhaps that leads to less carries for the versatile Allen. Buffalo also added running back Damien Harris with hopes of forming a dynamic backfield tandem with Cook.
Sleeper fantasy pick: RB James Cook
Cook didn’t put up huge fantasy totals as a rookie, but he averaged better than five yards per carry and caught 21 passes. With Devin Singletary gone, Cook should see his opportunities increase. Harris could cap his ceiling a bit, but Cook still has more flex appeal in PPR formats. —Michael Fabiano, SI Fantasy
Best bet: Take the over on Josh Allen’s 550.5 rushing yards
Allen finished with more than 760 yards in each of the last two seasons. The Bills didn’t add another receiver in the offseason to complement Diggs, and it’s likely Allen’s mobility will continue to be on display. Why mess with what works? —Jennifer Piacenti, SI Betting
Final record: 11–6, second in AFC East
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Do you know where all your college football teams are? Do you know how many schools are playing 2023 college football? How quickly is this all going to change for 2024?
Answers: You don’t – that’s what this is for – 133, and very quickly.
Trying to make sense of it all, here’s the breakdown of what’s happening and who the members are in every conference going into the 2023 college football season.
ACC
Teams in 2023: Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Pitt, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest
What’s New in 2023: Nothing team-wise, but just when you finally figured out who was in the Atlantic and who was in the Coastal, there aren’t divisions anymore. Taking Notre Dame out of the mix, it’s like 2020 when the top two teams will play for the ACC Championship.
What’s Next for 2024: Nothing … for now. The ACC member schools are stuck in a horrible media deal that locks them all in until 2036, and no one can seem to figure out how to get out of it. The Big Ten and SEC would LOVE to go shopping here, but the buyouts are too massive and the legal issues too sticky.
However, something will likely change within the conference with the bigger schools griping that the competitive balance money-wise is about to be too massive.
ACC Expansion Prediction: After 2023, the ACC reconfigures its media deal – or at least makes a very loud statement saying changes are in the works – to bump up the payouts per school to bridge some of the gap. It won’t be at a Big Ten or SEC level, but the yelling will be too loud if everything stays status quo.
American Athletic Conference
Teams in 2023: Charlotte, East Carolina, Florida Atlantic, Memphis, Navy, North Texas, Rice, SMU, Temple Tulane, Tulsa, UAB, USF, UTSA
What’s New in 2023: All of the good football programs left, except for the one that won the AAC Championship and the Cotton Bowl. Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF are now in the Big 12. Eight of the schools are still around, and Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB, and UTSA left Conference USA to join the party.
What’s Next for 2024: Nothing is set in stone, but the Pac-12 is pitching some serious woo with SMU. The AAC might not have anything on deck to add more teams, but it’ll be proactive – i.e. go take more Conference USA schools, or maybe Army or UConn – if needed.
American Athletic Conference Expansion Prediction: SMU is in the Pac-12 in 2025, and the Big 12 – after getting jilted by the Pac-12 schools rumored to be on the way – keeps the AAC raid going with Memphis, Tulane, and USF.
Big Ten
Teams in 2023: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers, Wisconsin
What’s New in 2023: Nothing in terms of members. Same teams, same divisions. However, the Big Ten is looking for a new commissioner with Kevin Warren off to the Chicago Bears, and the gigantic $7 billion media deal with FOX, CBS, and NBC kicks in on July 1.
What’s Next for 2024: UCLA and USC are on the way in 2024. The Big Ten will almost certainly ditch the divisions and either reconfigure them or go to a 16-team all-in format.
Big Ten Expansion Prediction: If – and it’s one gigantic IF at this point – the Pac-12 doesn’t have its schools locked down with a new media deal by early 2024, the expansion rumors will be off the charts. The Big Ten will stay dead silent, but the buzzing about Oregon and Washington will be deafening. However, the conference will almost certainly stand pat for a while as it tries to make sure all the ducks are in a row when it comes to making the current and past media deals work.
Big 12
Teams in 2023: Baylor, BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, TCU, Texas Tech, UCF, West Virginia
What’s New in 2023: For one season, the Big 12 will be loaded with 14 teams thanks to the boost from BYU ditching its independent status, and with Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF leaving the American Athletic Conference for the Power Five. There are no divisions, everyone is still around, and then …
What’s Next for 2024: Oklahoma and Texas are off to the SEC. There will actually be 12 teams in a conference called the Big 12, but …
Big 12 Expansion Prediction: The Big 12 will keep on expanding – UConn is likely deep in the mix in all sports, and there’s a shot the basketball side gets bigger with, say, Gonzaga – though probably not the way it wants to.
It’s still a guess that the Pac-12 will generate a media deal that comes close to what the Big 12 can offer, but for now, assume the four corner schools – Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah – all stay put. Also assume Memphis, Tulane, and USF will be thrown into the Big 12 rumor mill.
Conference USA
Teams in 2023: FlU, Jacksonville State, Liberty, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, New Mexico State, Sam Houston, UTEP, WKU
What’s New in 2023: Okay, get comfy because just five Conference USA schools from 2022 are still around. Here we go …
Conference USA did a nice job of finding a way to keep on moving after being raided the last few years. Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB, and UTSA all left for the American Athletic Conference. Liberty and New Mexico State left the life of the independents, and Jacksonville State and Sam Houston moved up from FCS to the FBS.
What’s Next for 2024: Kennesaw State will make the jump from the FCS into Conference USA in 2024.
Conference USA Expansion Prediction: The league will keep looking to add schools to overcome the eventual loss of more members. If the American Athletic Conference doesn’t find a way to get Army, UConn, and/or UMass, Conference USA will give it a try.
The call is that the rest of the league stays intact next year, but FIU or WKU will be on the AAC radar depending on whether or not the Big 12 goes after Memphis, Tulane and/or USF.
Independents
Teams in 2023: Army, Notre Dame, UConn, UMass
What’s New in 2023: Liberty and New Mexico State joined Conference USA, and BYU is off to the Big 12
What’s Next for 2024: Nothing … yet.
Independents Expansion Prediction: Notre Dame will inch closer and closer to a deal with a conference, but which one? The ACC won’t be able to offer what the Big Ten can, but the Irish will keep its friends with benefits relationship going with the ACC. Army, UConn, UMass – at least two of those three will join a conference in 2024. UConn to the Big 12 is the most likely next move.
MAC
Teams in 2023: Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Miami University, Northern Illinois, Ohio, Toledo, Western Michigan
What’s New in 2023: Nothing. The conference is keeping its East and West divisions.
What’s Next for 2024: Nothing … yet.
MAC Expansion Prediction: The stability will continue. It won’t look to add on any of the independents, and the current schools don’t appear to be in the mix for anyone else’s expansion plans. That could change depending on what Conference USA will be able to offer in the near future.
Mountain West
Teams in 2023: Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Hawaii, New Mexico, Nevada, San Diego State, San Jose State, UNLV, Utah State, Wyoming
What’s New in 2023: Nothing, but …
What’s Next for 2024: Nothing concrete yet, but batten down the hatches because …
Mountain West Expansion Prediction: The storm is coming. San Diego State got itself into a procedural mess with the Mountain West as it waits for the Pac-12 to get its spit together. But for now, despite all the honking, expect the Mountain West and SDSU to still be together through at least 2024.
The Pac-12’s inability to lock down a strong media deal is the only thing keeping it from grabbing the only Southern California option available. If that doesn’t work, the Big 12 might step in and YOINK the Aztecs if it can’t pry away a slew of Pac-12 schools – even though the Big 12 said it isn’t interested … don’t completely believe that.
The Pac-12 needs the Las Vegas market – UNLV should be a no-brainer – and then it comes down to whether or not Boise State and/or Fresno State make sense in whatever media deal gets signed. (Hint: they do.)
Pac-12
Teams in 2023: Arizona, Arizona State, Cal, Colorado, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Utah, Washington, Washington State
What’s New in 2023: Nothing, and that includes a new media deal.
What’s Next for 2024: UCLA and USC will be a part of the Big Ten. Outside of that …
Pac-12 Expansion Prediction: This is a total throw-at-wall-and-see-if-it-sticks prediction, mainly because it all hinges on whether or not the Pac-12 can get any sort of a decent media deal that pays its members close to what the Big 12 can offer. Three different best-guess scenarios.
1) Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkov can’t pull it off. The media deal not only isn’t lucrative enough, but what’s on the table is laughable enough to force the main members to pack up and move. Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah go to the Big 12, the Big Ten figures it out with Oregon and Washington, and outside of raiding the Mountain West, the Pac-12 is a shell of its former self. OR …
2) This takes too long. Everything drags out, everyone starts to get antsy, and worst of all, the Big Ten gets back up to speed with a new commissioner in time to figure out ways to make Oregon and Washington a part of the puzzle. In a doomsday scenario, the Big Ten decides it wants San Francisco and Phoenix, too, grabs Arizona, Arizona State, Cal, and Stanford, and goodnight. World domination is complete. But … nah. That’s a reach, so …
3) Here’s my best guess. The media deal turns out to be fine. Not amazing, but decent enough to swat away the annoying Big 12 gnat that keeps buzzing around. The ten remaining members band together, and – again, best guess – San Diego State, SMU, Fresno State, and UNLV are brought in.
SEC
Teams in 2023: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt
What’s New in 2023: Not much. Everyone is in a holding pattern for …
What’s Next for 2024: Texas and Oklahoma. The fun all starts up in 2024, the schedules will get crazy, everyone the schedule is out, and away we go.
SEC Expansion Prediction: I’m just a simple college football writer who drinks too much coffee, but I do know this … the SEC is absolutely insane to not push everyone aside to go swallow up Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah before the Pac-12 finally gets its media deal stuff together. Maybe the SEC thinks about finding something to offer Oregon and Washington. The Big Ten is coast-to-coast starting in 2024, and the SEC is going to be a very, very distant second in terms of reach and markets, so …
Nah. That’s not going to happen. The SEC will spend all of 2023 pumping up and promoting the new-look 2024 version at every possible turn.
Sun Belt
Teams in 2023: Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, James Madison, Louisiana, Marshall, Old Dominion, South Alabama, Southern Miss, Texas State, Troy
What’s New in 2023: James Madison still isn’t eligible to go bowling in a silly NCAA ruling.
What’s Next for 2024: Nothing at the moment, but don’t put it past the Sun Belt to do something funky. Give it all due credit – it didn’t mess around last year. It wanted to steal a slew of Conference USA teams, and it just went and did it – and it totally worked in a wonderful 2023.
Sun Belt Expansion Prediction: The Sun Belt will stay with the status quo for a little while, and then start eyeing 2025. The deal with ESPN goes through 2031, but don’t be shocked it the league starts to look at bringing over WKU and or FIU if it can make the numbers work.
MEN’S GOLF
MCILROY BIRDIES LAST 2 HOLES TO WIN SCOTTISH OPEN, BEATING MACINTYRE BY 1 SHOT
GULLANE, Scotland (AP) Rory McIlroy birdied the last two holes in whipping wind Sunday for a 2-under 68 to win the Genesis Scottish Open, his first victory on Scottish soil, and take a load of confidence into the final major of the year.
McIlroy was one shot behind Robert MacIntyre when he played the slope to near perfection on the par-3 17th for a 4-foot birdie putt to tie for the lead. Then, he delivered what McIlroy called his best shot of the year – a 2-iron into the wind to 10 feet for a final birdie.
It was a heartbreaker for MacIntyre, who was trying to win his national open and delivered a class shot of his own. MacIntyre hammered a 3-wood from the rough on the 18th hole at The Renaissance Club to 4 feet, pumping both fists when it dropped for a 64.
It was a remarkable closing round given the wind that was rough and relentless off the Firth of Forth, and it looked for the longest time that it would give the 26-year-old MacIntyre the signature victory of his young career.
Instead it was McIlroy, who played the tough back nine in 31 and capped it off with two clutch birdies for his first win since the Dubai Desert Classic.
The victory came at an ideal time. McIlroy heads south to Royal Liverpool for the British Open, where he tries to end his nine-year drought in the majors. McIlroy won the claret jug the last time The Open was played at Royal Liverpool in 2014.
“That was such a tough day – so tough,” McIlroy said. “To play that back nine in 4-under par to win the tournament, I’m really proud of how I stuck in there. I hit some amazing shots down the stretch. It feels incredible. It’s been a long six months, I feel, since I won in Dubai. I’ve given myself tons of chances, and hopefully this win sort of breaks the seal for me, especially going into next week.”
McIlroy finished at 15-under 265 and moved past Jon Rahm to No. 2 in the world.
Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1 player in the world, closed with a 70 and tied for third with Byeong Hun An (70) and David Lingmerth (68). Scheffler has finished among the top five in his last seven tournaments, two of them majors.
An and Lingmerth received a consolation prize by earning spots in the British Open, awarded to the leading three players not already exempt. The final spot went to Nicolai Hojgaard (67), who will join twin brother Rasmus at Royal Liverpool.
The Scottish crowd had been chanting MacIntyre’s name all week around The Renaissance Club, and they roared when he delivered the 3-wood and birdie putt to the 18th, one of the toughest closing holes on tour.
MacIntyre was so caught up in the moment he had to hold back tears leaving the green.
“I’ll never forget it. I had to take a minute coming off 18,” he said. “If not The Open, the Scottish Open will be up there with the event I want to play for the rest of my life. It’s one I’ve dreamed of winning since I watched at home, and I thought today coming down once I birdied 18, I thought, this might be the one. But it’s not to be just now.
“Rory McIlroy’s potentially the best in the world, and he showed why today.”
McIlroy matched him with a shot every bit as good.
He was 201 yards from the pin, dead into the wind, a perfect 3-iron for him – except that McIlroy decided to replace his 3-iron with a 2-iron for the windy week.
“The 4-iron was only getting me to the front edge,” McIlroy said. He needed to hit a 2-iron with a little cut and a little height to let the wind take off some of the distance, and “it came off absolutely perfectly.”
“It’s probably the best shot I’ve hit all year,” McIlroy said. “When you hit a shot like that, I feel like I deserved to hole the putt to finish it off like that.”
The tournament was co-sanctioned by the European tour and the PGA Tour. McIlroy expanded his lead atop the Race to Dubai, though he still has work to do to catch up to Rahm and Scheffler in the FedEx Cup.
VINCENT NORRMAN SCRAMBLES IN PLAYOFF FOR FIRST PGA TOUR VICTORY AT BARBASOL CHAMPIONSHIP
NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. (AP) Vincent Norrman lipped in an 8-footer for bogey on the 72nd hole to get into a playoff, then scrambled for par on the same hole in sudden death on Sunday to beat Nathan Kimsey and win the Barbasol Championship, his first PGA Tour victory.
The 25-year-old Norrman, a tour rookie who played one year at Florida State after four years at Division II Georgia Southwestern, won in his 23rd career start. The Swede closed with a 66 at Keene Trace to finish at 22-under 266.
“I don’t think I can process this for a while. I’m lost for words,” Norrman said.
Norrman’s girlfriend, LPGA Tour player Frida Kinhult, surprised him after the victory. Kinhult finished tied for 36th at the Dana Open in Sylvania, Ohio, on Sunday, then traveled 300 miles south to greet Norrman.
Kimsey, a 30-year-old European tour player from England who made his PGA Tour debut in this co-sanctioned event, shot 64 to post 22 under and waited to see if it would be good enough. It didn’t look promising with Norrman and Trevor Cone at 23 under.
But Cone yanked his tee shot into tall grass well left of the green on the par-3 16th, leading to double bogey. That opened the door for Norrman, who hit fairway wood off the 18th tee and went well left into an awkward lie. He still had 57 yards for his third shot, missed the green from there and then chipped well past the hole. His bogey putt caught the lip on the right side and dropped.
In the playoff, Norrman again went left off the tee, missed the green to the right and chipped to 2 feet.
“I hit a really good tee shot, I thought,” Norrman said. “I had a pretty tough lie, downhill left to right usually comes out left on me and that kind of flared right. That was a pretty tricky chip as well and I just put a good strike on it and hit it up there close.”
Kimsey hit his tee shot into thick rough on the right, just missing the water, and failed to get up-and-down from a bunker well short of the green. He was seeking to become the first player to since Jim Benepe at the 1988 Western Open to win his PGA Tour debut.
“I feel like I barely missed a shot all day,” Kimsey said. “Holed a few nice putts and just kind of did a really good job of executing kind of the whole back nine and keep pushing really. Yeah, like I can’t complain with anything I did today.”
Cone shot 68 and finished one shot shy of the playoff alongside Adrien Saddier (66), a European tour player from France.
Veteran Lucas Glover, who led after the first and second rounds, finished alone in fifth at 20 under, his third consecutive top 10. The 43-year-old Glover shot 68 and extended his streak of rounds in the 60s to 12, all since switching to a long putter.
Cone led by one shot entering the final round but was soon chasing Norrman, who made six birdies on the front nine to turn in 6-under 30. Norrman’s even-par inward nine was good enough. He shot 66-67-67-66 over four days.
“It’s been a crazy week and obviously today, the first nine was almost flawless,” Norrman said. “Yeah, how I finished the front nine I’m really proud of, then hung in there on the back. I’m happy to be sitting here.”
Marcus Kinhult, the older brother of Norrman’s girlfriend and his roommate for the week, closed with a 69 and tied for 14th.
STEVE STRICKER WINS HIS 3RD PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS MAJOR OF YEAR WITH DOMINANT WEEKEND AT FIRESTONE
AKRON, Ohio (AP) Steve Stricker won his third PGA Tour Champions major of the year, capping off a dominant weekend at Firestone with a 4-under 66 on Sunday for a three-shot victory in the Kaulig Companies Championship.
Stricker was five shots off the lead after a second-round 73, but closed with rounds of 65-66 for an 11-under 269 total. David Toms shot a final-round 65 to finish alone in second at 8 under.
The 56-year-old Stricker won the Regions Tradition in May, then triumphed two weeks later at the Senior PGA Championship. He has five victories this year on the over-50 tour and a lead of more than $2 million over second-place Bernhard Langer on the Charles Schwab Cup money list.
“It’s fun getting in contention on a day like today and knowing that you have to do certain things. The more times I’ve been there, the more times I’ve been able to handle it,” Stricker said. “And that’s been the fun part, that’s what keeps me motivated to come out here and continue to play.”
The win at Firestone gives Stricker a spot in next year’s Players Championship, which he said was one of his goals. This event was previously known as the Senior Players Championship before Kaulig Companies took over as title sponsor.
“I think I get so emotional because we put so much into it,” said Stricker, who choked up during a greenside television interview.
Stricker played his first 13 holes in 3 under before his only bogey of the day on the par-4 14th. But he responded with a lengthy putt for birdie on the par-4 15th and a wedge to 2 feet for birdie on the par-5 16th, giving himself enough of a cushion to enjoy his walk to the 18th green.
Stricker has seven career majors on the PGA Tour Champions, tied with Hale Irwin for fourth all-time. His best finish in a major before turning 50 was a runner-up at the 1998 PGA Championship.
“I won 12 times (on the PGA Tour), but I never got into contention like I’m getting into contention now on the Champions Tour. I have more cracks at it, more times to fail, more times to succeed,” he said.
The final major of the year for the seniors will be the Senior British Open at Royal Porthcawl in Wales in two weeks.
The 65-year-old Langer, who won the U.S. Senior Open two weeks ago to break the PGA Tour Champions career victory record, closed with a 66 to finish alone in sixth, six shots back. Langer, a three-time winner of this event, holds the record for senior major wins with 12.
Harrison Frazar, who was tied with Stricker for the 54-hole lead, shot 70 and tied for third with K.J. Choi (68) and Ernie Els (68).
WOMEN’S GOLF
LINN GRANT WINS FIRST LPGA TITLE AT DANA OPEN, BEATING ALLISEN CORPUZ BY 3 SHOTS
SYLVANIA, Ohio (AP) Linn Grant won her first LPGA Tour title after an outstanding start to her career in Europe, enduring a charge from U.S. Women’s Open champion Allisen Corpuz and closing with a 3-under 68 for a three-shot victory in the Dana Open on Sunday.
The 24-year-old Grant has five victories on the Ladies European Tour – including a history-making nine-shot victory last year against a field of men and women in the Scandinavian Mixed – and earned LPGA membership starting last season. But she did not play in the United States until this year, when the U.S. dropped its COVID-19 vaccination requirement for foreign travelers. The Swede did not disclose her reasons for remaining unvaccinated, calling it a private matter.
Now she’s an LPGA winner and a lock to represent Europe in the Solheim Cup this fall in Spain.
“I think I’ve imagined this day so many times in so many ways in my own mind,” Grant said. “Just being here now, I’m just so speechless and at the same time I feel familiar with the setting for some reason. But it’s just so fun.”
Grant entered the day with a six-shot lead after a 62 on Saturday. She parred her first seven holes, chipped in for birdie from behind the green on the par-3 eighth, and still led by six at the turn. But Corpuz, a week after she won at Pebble Beach for her first LPGA title, made it interesting with birdies on four of the last five holes to shoot 65 and get within two shots.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s one shot or six or whatever it is. Like, it’s just awful. You just stress all the way,” Grant said. “From the second I teed off to the last putt I’m just shaking, stressed, tense. It’s fun, but also very not very fun.”
Grant saved par on the par-4 16th and finished with a birdie on the par-5 18th, reaching the green in two with a 3-wood that she didn’t think she could get there. Her four-day total at Highland Meadows was 21-under 263.
“I think it’s easy to just go out and think that, well, I’ll just go out there and I’ll win. In my mind I’m still thinking that someone could come from behind and shoot a 9 under,” Grant said. “And so in my head I still had to – like if I could just shoot 2, 3 under today, which I did, that would probably get me there.”
A week after her triumph at Pebble Beach, Corpuz did not shoot worse than 68 over four rounds in Ohio.
“Really just focused on getting rest the whole week. Didn’t get any sleep Sunday night and then travel day Monday,” Corpuz said. “So I was a little tired, but just tried to stay focused throughout.”
Corpuz moves to fourth in the Race to CME Globe standings.
“My game’s just felt like it’s in a really good spot,” she said. “Just haven’t really put four solid rounds together until, obviously, last week and this week.”
Lindy Duncan also closed with a 65 and was alone in third, six shots back. Xiyu Janet Lin (67) and Stephanie Kyriacou (69) were another shot behind. Kyriacou played in the final group and had her best LPGA finish.
“I learned a whole lot about the mental side of golf. How to deal with nerves and all that stuff,” the Australian said. “So a lot of things to take away from this week, even though one wasn’t a trophy.”
NBA NEWS
SUNS TRADE PAYNE TO SPURS, SIGN BOL BOL TO 1-YEAR CONTRACT, AP SOURCE SAYS
PHOENIX (AP) The Phoenix Suns have traded guard Cameron Payne to the San Antonio Spurs and signed big man Bol Bol to a one-year contract, a person familiar with the moves told The Associated Press.
The Suns also acquired three second-round draft picks from the Orlando Magic for a swap of first-round picks in the 2026 NBA draft, the person said Sunday on condition of anonymity because the deals have not been officially announced.
Phoenix was expected to have a quiet offseason after trading for Bradley Beal, but has been active while trying to build a roster around him, Devin Booker and Kevin Durant.
The Suns traded Payne with a second-round pick and cash to the Spurs for a future protected second-round pick in a deal that will clear salary cap space.
That cleared the way for Phoenix to sign Bol, who was released by Orlando earlier this month. The 7-foot-2 son of former NBA player Manute Bol averaged 9.1 points and 5.8 points last season after three years in Denver.
Payne played a key reserve role on a Suns team that went to the 2021 NBA Finals. The 6-1 guard averaged 10.8 points and 4.5 assists last season, his fourth in Phoenix.
The Suns were busy at the opening of free agency late last month, agreeing to terms with sharpshooter Yuta Watanabe, big men Chimezie Metu and Drew Eubanks, and wing Keita Bates-Diop.
AUTO RACING
CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD PICKS UP FIRST INDYCAR VICTORY IN TORONTO
Christian Lundgaard of Denmark became a first-time IndyCar Series winner when he took the checkered flag at the Honda Indy Toronto on Sunday afternoon.
Lundgaard, driving the No. 45 Vivid Clear Rx Honda, started from pole position and cruised through the streets of Toronto to an 11.7893-second victory over second-place driver Alex Palou of Spain.
“I said it before the race, we had a car that was fast enough to win, and we pulled it off,” Lundgaard, 21, said in his post-race interview. “… This team, they do deserve this, because if we look at where we were earlier this season and even last year at this point, we were nowhere near this.
“I’m just extremely happy for everybody right now.”
–
Lundgaard gave his team, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, its first IndyCar win since Japan’s Takuma Sato captured the Indianapolis 500 title in 2020.
After Palou, Colton Herta, Scott Dixon of New Zealand and Josef Newgarden rounded out the top five.
Palou will retain first place in the championship standings. He entered the weekend with a 110-point advantage over Dixon in second place.
IndyCar legend Helio Castroneves of Brazil was among those who were unable to finish the race. Kyle Kirkwood tapped him from behind during Lap 46.
NASCAR CUP SERIES RACE AT NEW HAMPSHIRE PPD. UNTIL MONDAY
LOUDON, N.H. — With torrential rain and the threat of storms in the area all day, NASCAR has decided to push back Sunday’s scheduled Crayon 301 NASCAR Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to Monday.
The race will now start at noon ET Monday and still will be televised on the USA Network with radio coverage on both PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell will start his No. 20 Toyota from pole position in hopes of defending his victory in the 2022 New Hampshire race. His JGR teammate Martin Truex Jr. will start alongside on the front row.
Veteran Stewart-Haas Racing driver Kevin Harvick, a four-time New Hampshire race winner, will roll off 13th on the grid in his final start at the 1.058-mile track. He is hoping to hoist another trophy and mark an all-time victory record at the track.
Championship points leader, Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron, will start seventh.
TOP INDIANA NEWS/RELEASES FROM ORGANIZATIONS
INDIANS BASEBALL
SIX-RUN FIFTH LIFTS INDIANS TO SERIES WIN OVER STORM CHASERS
PAPILLION, Neb. – Josh Bissonette cranked his first career Triple-A home run to cap a six-run fifth inning, and Chris Owings and Alika Williams each hit solo home runs to carry the Indianapolis Indians to an 11-4 win and series victory over the Omaha Storm Chasers on Sunday night at Werner Park.
Locked in a 3-3 tie through four innings, the Indians (42-47, 9-6) erupted for six runs in the fifth inning on five hits and three walks. Miguel Andújar opened the frame with a single to extend his hitting streak to 14 games and later scored on a bases-loaded single by Grant Koch that made it 4-3. Indianapolis extended its lead thanks to a two-run single off the bat of Vinny Capra and three-run shot by Bissonette, just the second home run of his four-year professional career and first since July 27, 2021, with Double-A Altoona.
Williams homered for a second consecutive night in Indy’s next turn at the plate, the sixth long ball in his last 17 games played. The home run was also his second hit of the game, giving him nine multi-hit performances in his last 14 contests.
Capra, who doubled and scored on an Andújar single in the seventh for Indy’s final run, also singled in the second, laced an RBI double in the fourth and walked in the ninth to reach base safely in all five of his plate appearances. He finished 4-for-4 for the second time this season.
Indianapolis jumped in front in the first inning on a two-out double by Ryan Vilade that plated Owings, who started the game with a walk. Owings doubled the advantage in the third inning with a homer to right, and Capra’s two-bagger in the fourth brought home Williams to give Indy a 3-0 lead.
The Storm Chasers (42-44, 4-10) – already with six home runs through the first two games of the series – played long ball in their half of the fourth to level the score. With two runners on and two outs, Adeiny Hechavarría launched a 3-1 pitch over the wall in right-center for his third home run, but Indianapolis put the game away in the next half inning.
Nate Eaton homered off Kyle Nicolas in the bottom of the sixth inning, giving both teams a total of eight home runs in the three-game set.
Jared Jones (W, 2-1) tossed 5.0 innings and yielded three earned runs on six hits with six strikeouts. Brad Keller (L, 0-3) was charged with six earned runs and recorded just one out in the top of the fifth inning.
Every batter in Indy’s lineup recorded at least one hit. Andújar joined Williams with a two-hit performance to raise his International League-leading batting average to .365.
The Indians continue their nine-game road trip on Tuesday with the series opener of a six-game set at Iowa at 7:38 PM ET. RHP Luis Ortiz (2-2, 2.94) is tabbed as Indy’s probable starting pitcher.
COLTS FOOTBALL
(COLTS WIRE)
COLTS’ 2023 TRAINING CAMP PREVIEW: QUARTERBACKS
The Indianapolis Colts are set to return for training camp at the Grand Park Sports Complex in Westfield with their first practice being held July 26.
Before then, we’ll be previewing each position, giving our takes on the starters, position battles and projected depth chart entering camp under the new regime.
The quarterback position is the most important for every team. The Colts are no different, especially after using the No. 4 overall pick on the electric, but inexperienced Anthony Richardson.
The quarterback room looks much different than it did one year ago. The Colts cut Matt Ryan and Nick Foles during the offseason, allowing them to sign free-agent Gardner Minshew and draft the aforementioned Richardson. The only player remaining from 2022 is third-year player Sam Ehlinger.
Anthony Richardson vs. Gardner Minshew
The Colts want Richardson to start as soon as possible. He needs the reps in order to grow his game quickly, but that means preparing for growing pains as well. Minshew has two full seasons of experience in Shane Steichen’s offense so they have a strong fall-back plan if Richardson needs more time to acclimate to the NFL.
It’s likely the Colts will be carrying all three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster thanks to the return of the emergency quarterback rule. This will allow the Colts to dress an extra quarterback on game days in the event both Richardson and Minshew go down due to injuries. Considering Ehlinger is the only other quarterback on the roster, we expect it to be him.
There’s a strong possibility the Colts roll with Minshew for the first week of the season even though Richardson needs the reps. It all comes down to how the rookie performs in training camp and the preseason. For now, we’ll take a cautiously optimistic approach that Richardson will show enough to start from Day 1 but be prepared for the alternative early in the season.
SMALL COLLEGE ATHLETIC 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/
HOLY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php
TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/
VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index
“SPORTS EXTRA”
MLB STANDINGS
| American League | |||||||||||
| East | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Tampa Bay | 60 | 36 | .625 | – | 35 – 15 | 25 – 21 | 17 – 10 | 16 – 4 | 9 – 7 | 3 – 7 | L 1 |
| Baltimore | 57 | 35 | .620 | 1 | 29 – 18 | 28 – 17 | 16 – 11 | 18 – 7 | 10 – 7 | 8 – 2 | W 8 |
| Toronto | 53 | 41 | .564 | 6 | 26 – 18 | 27 – 23 | 7 – 20 | 16 – 6 | 11 – 8 | 8 – 2 | W 4 |
| Boston | 50 | 44 | .532 | 9 | 26 – 22 | 24 – 22 | 16 – 11 | 11 – 8 | 10 – 6 | 8 – 2 | W 1 |
| NY Yankees | 50 | 44 | .532 | 9 | 28 – 23 | 22 – 21 | 13 – 17 | 8 – 8 | 14 – 8 | 4 – 6 | L 1 |
| Central | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Minnesota | 48 | 46 | .511 | – | 26 – 22 | 22 – 24 | 12 – 17 | 18 – 12 | 8 – 4 | 6 – 4 | W 3 |
| Cleveland | 45 | 48 | .484 | 2.5 | 24 – 22 | 21 – 26 | 7 – 8 | 13 – 13 | 13 – 9 | 4 – 6 | L 4 |
| Detroit | 41 | 51 | .446 | 6 | 20 – 25 | 21 – 26 | 3 – 16 | 15 – 11 | 9 – 10 | 5 – 5 | L 1 |
| Chi White Sox | 40 | 55 | .421 | 8.5 | 21 – 25 | 19 – 30 | 6 – 16 | 15 – 11 | 9 – 14 | 4 – 6 | W 2 |
| Kansas City | 27 | 67 | .287 | 21 | 14 – 33 | 13 – 34 | 5 – 12 | 8 – 22 | 4 – 11 | 2 – 8 | W 1 |
| West | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Texas | 55 | 39 | .585 | – | 30 – 18 | 25 – 21 | 11 – 11 | 14 – 5 | 16 – 11 | 5 – 5 | W 3 |
| Houston | 52 | 42 | .553 | 3 | 25 – 22 | 27 – 20 | 5 – 5 | 8 – 11 | 19 – 11 | 6 – 4 | W 1 |
| Seattle | 46 | 46 | .500 | 8 | 25 – 22 | 21 – 24 | 7 – 11 | 8 – 8 | 15 – 11 | 6 – 4 | W 1 |
| LA Angels | 46 | 48 | .489 | 9 | 24 – 22 | 22 – 26 | 8 – 9 | 11 – 8 | 16 – 14 | 2 – 8 | L 1 |
| Oakland | 25 | 70 | .263 | 30.5 | 12 – 35 | 13 – 35 | 5 – 18 | 7 – 11 | 4 – 23 | 2 – 8 | L 7 |
| National League | |||||||||||
| East | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Atlanta | 61 | 31 | .663 | – | 31 – 17 | 30 – 14 | 22 – 6 | 8 – 1 | 10 – 7 | 6 – 4 | L 2 |
| Miami | 53 | 42 | .558 | 9.5 | 30 – 18 | 23 – 24 | 13 – 16 | 11 – 6 | 9 – 10 | 5 – 5 | L 3 |
| Philadelphia | 51 | 42 | .548 | 10.5 | 25 – 17 | 26 – 25 | 9 – 15 | 9 – 4 | 14 – 13 | 7 – 3 | W 3 |
| NY Mets | 43 | 50 | .462 | 18.5 | 21 – 21 | 22 – 29 | 13 – 13 | 5 – 14 | 15 – 13 | 6 – 4 | W 1 |
| Washington | 37 | 56 | .398 | 24.5 | 15 – 32 | 22 – 24 | 9 – 16 | 6 – 11 | 9 – 13 | 3 – 7 | L 2 |
| Central | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Milwaukee | 52 | 42 | .553 | – | 26 – 21 | 26 – 21 | 6 – 1 | 20 – 9 | 8 – 15 | 7 – 3 | W 4 |
| Cincinnati | 50 | 44 | .532 | 2 | 23 – 24 | 27 – 20 | 12 – 11 | 12 – 17 | 9 – 6 | 5 – 5 | L 4 |
| Chi Cubs | 43 | 49 | .467 | 8 | 22 – 24 | 21 – 25 | 6 – 13 | 12 – 11 | 9 – 8 | 5 – 5 | L 1 |
| Pittsburgh | 41 | 52 | .441 | 10.5 | 22 – 24 | 19 – 28 | 5 – 5 | 11 – 15 | 14 – 14 | 2 – 8 | L 3 |
| St. Louis | 40 | 53 | .430 | 11.5 | 19 – 26 | 21 – 27 | 7 – 9 | 11 – 14 | 7 – 13 | 5 – 5 | W 2 |
| West | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| LA Dodgers | 53 | 39 | .576 | – | 29 – 16 | 24 – 23 | 11 – 7 | 15 – 12 | 14 – 11 | 7 – 3 | L 1 |
| San Francisco | 52 | 41 | .559 | 1.5 | 26 – 22 | 26 – 19 | 10 – 9 | 16 – 7 | 15 – 10 | 6 – 4 | W 5 |
| Arizona | 52 | 42 | .553 | 2 | 26 – 24 | 26 – 18 | 11 – 14 | 10 – 5 | 17 – 11 | 2 – 8 | L 4 |
| San Diego | 44 | 50 | .468 | 10 | 25 – 23 | 19 – 27 | 13 – 13 | 7 – 13 | 12 – 13 | 6 – 4 | L 3 |
| Colorado | 36 | 58 | .383 | 18 | 22 – 25 | 14 – 33 | 11 – 14 | 8 – 10 | 6 – 19 | 3 – 7 | W 1 |
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1890 For the first time in baseball history, two 300-game winners are opponents as Tim Keefe of the Giants faces Pittsburgh’s Jim ‘Pud’ Galvin in a Players League match-up. New York beats the Burghers, 8-2, in the first of four historic confrontations between the two future members of the Hall of Fame.
1903 In a Tri-State League contest, 25-year-old Dan McClellan throws a perfect game, beating the Penn Park Athletic Club of York. The Cuban X-Giants southpaw is the first black pitcher to accomplish the feat in professional baseball.
1904 At New Jersey’s Wiedenmeyer’s Park, which will become better known as Ruppert Stadium, the Highlanders host an American League game, beating Detroit in the Newark ballpark, 3-1. The contest is played away from Hilltop Park, the team’s usual home, to avoid New York City’s blue laws.
1912 🇸🇪 At the Ostermalm Athletics Grounds, Sweden’s Vasteras Baseball Club plays an exhibition game at the Summer Olympics against an American team. The squad from the United States, who unsurprisingly wins the contest 13-3, consists of athletes in Stockholm competing for gold medals in other sports.
1914 Against the Giants, control artist Babe Adams of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches an entire 21-inning game without issuing a single walk. The contest, the longest in big-league history without a base-on-balls, is decided by Larry Doyle’s home run in the top of the frame, giving Rube Marquard, who also goes the distance, the 3-1 victory.
1918 The Phillies play the longest game in franchise history, a 2-1 loss in 21 innings to Chicago at Weeghman Park. The starting pitchers, Philadelphia right-hander Milt Watson and Chicago southpaw Lefty Tyler, go the distance, hurling a complete game in the marathon.
1923 Yankee starter Carl Mays goes the distance, losing to the Indians at Cleveland’s Dunn Field, 13-0. The 31-year-old right-handed submariner gives up 20 hits, including four singles and a double to the Tribes’ leadoff batter Charlie Jamieson, who enjoys a 5-for-5 day at the plate.
1924 Cardinals’ knuckleballer and future Hall of Famer Jesse Haines throws a no-hitter, beating the Braves at Sportsman’s Park, 5-0, to become the first post-1900 Redbird hurler to accomplish the feat. Another 54 years will pass until the next no-hit game happens in St. Louis, a span ending in 1978 when Bob Forsch holds the Phillies hitless at Busch Stadium.
1934 Cubs right-hander Lon Warneke, with his team ahead of New York, 3-1, loads the bases in the seventh inning with an intentional pass to face opposing pitcher Roy Parmalee. The strategy backfires when the hurler hits a grand slam, a drive that barely clears the right-field wall, proving to be the difference in the Giants’ 5-3 victory in the opener of a twin bill at the Polo Grounds.
1936 Carl Hubbell’s 24-game winning streak, spanning over twenty-seven games and 207.2 innings over two seasons, begins with a 6-0 victory over the Pirates. King Karl will keep winning until Memorial Day next season when the southpaw lasts only 3.1 innings in the team’s 10-3 loss to the Dodgers at the Polo Grounds.
1941 Thanks to the outstanding defensive work of Indians’ third baseman Ken Keltner, Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak ends in Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium in front of 67,000 fans. The ‘Yankee Clipper,’ who batted .408 during the stretch, will begin another hitting spree that will last 17 games, extending the remarkable span of hitting safely to 73 of 74 games. 56: Joe DiMaggio and the Last Magic Number in Sports
1947 Less than two weeks after Larry Doby’s debut with the Indians, Hank Thompson becomes the second black player to debut in the American League and first for the Browns. The former Kansas City Monarchs standout, who will play in only 27 games for St. Louis because his presence does not significantly raise attendance, goes 0-for-4 in the team’s 16-2 loss to Philadelphia at Sportsman’s Park.
1947 At Cleveland Stadium, the Yankees sweep a doubleheader against the Indians, 3-1 and 7-2. The victories extend the club’s winning streak to 19 games, equaling the American League mark established by the White Sox in 1906.
1954 With Jim Gilliam (2b), Jackie Robinson (3b), Sandy Amoros (lf), Roy Campanella (c), and Don Newcombe (p) in the starting lineup against the Braves, the Dodgers field the first team which consists of a majority of black players. The historic five helps Brooklyn to beat Milwaukee at County Stadium, 2-1.
1957 In front of a House Judiciary subcommittee, team owner Arnold Johnson, contrary to the truth, denies he has favored the Yankees when trading players from the A’s to the Bronx. Due to many recent suspicious deals between the New York and Kansas City clubs, Congress is skeptical.
1959 Mel Allen asks his director to replay Jim McAnay’s ninth-inning single, the first hit allowed by Ralph Terry in the team’s eventual 2-0 loss to Cleveland at the Bronx ballpark. The Yankee broadcaster’s request marks the first use of instant replay in a baseball broadcast.
1961 “I think if I had my life to live over again, I’d do things a little different. I was aggressive, perhaps too aggressive. Maybe I went too far. I always had to be right in any argument I was in, I always had to be first in everything. I do indeed think I would have done some things different. And if I had I believe I would have had more friends”- TY COBB, quoted in Voices from Cooperstown: Baseball’s Hall of Famers Tell It Like It Was by Anthony J. Connor. After checking in a month earlier at an Atlanta hospital, where he placed beside his bed a brown bag filled with $1 million in negotiable securities and a Luger, Ty Cobb dies at the age of seventy-four after a long battle with cancer. Only three former players, Ray Schalk, Mickey Cochrane, and Nap Rucker, along with Baseball Hall of Fame director Sid Keener, attend the Georgia Peach’s funeral services.
1961 Rain in the top of the fifth inning in the nightcap of a twin bill against the Orioles washes out homers by Yankee sluggers Roger Maris (35) and Mickey Mantle (32), both ahead of the Bambino’s record 1927 pace. The Memorial Stadium rainout occurs on the same day Commissioner Ford Frick decrees that Babe Ruth’s record of 60 home runs stands unless a player hits 61 or more within the first 154 games of the newly expanded 162-game schedule.
1964 In Los Angeles, the Chavez Ravine contest becomes the first Pay-TV baseball game as Subscription Television offers subscribers the opportunity to watch the cablecast for a fee. The Dodgers beat Chicago, 3-2, with Don Drysdale collecting ten strikeouts.
1969 At Metropolitan Stadium, Gold Glove pitcher Jim Kaat commits three errors. The 30-year-old right-hander still gets the victory when the Twins beat the White Sox, 8-5.
1974 Cardinals right-hander Bob Gibson becomes the second pitcher in major league history to record 3000 career strikeouts when he fans Cesar Geronimo of the Reds. In 1923, Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators became the first major leaguer to reach the milestone.
1976 Walter Alston becomes the sixth skipper to win 2,000 games when the Dodgers overcome a four-run first-inning deficit and beat Chicago at Chavez Ravine, 5-4. ‘Smokey’ will leave at the end of the season, finishing his 23-year tenure in his only managerial position in the majors with a 2,040-1,613 record (.558).
1978 Just before starting the Oriole game at Memorial Stadium, Doc Medich goes into the stands and saves a 61-year-old fan suffering from a heart attack. The Ranger right-hander, a medical student in the off-season, administers a heart massage to the ailing man until medical help arrives.
1978 Reggie Jackson is suspended for five days without pay by the Yankees. During a Bronx Bomber loss, the future Hall of Fame slugger incurs skipper Billy Martin’s wrath by striking out attempting to bunt after being explicitly told to hit away.
1979 At Seattle’s Kingdome, Pirates outfielder Dave Parker, who cuts down Brian Downing at home with an amazing throw, is named the All-Star Game’s MVP when the National League wins its eighth straight Midsummer Classic. In the 7-6 victory over the Junior Circuit, Mets outfielder Lee Mazzilli homers to tie the game in the eighth and then walks in the ninth, plating the eventual winning run.
1987 Don Mattingly becomes the first American League player to hit a home run in seven consecutive games. The Yankees’ first baseman will equal Dale Long’s 1956 major-league mark tomorrow, hitting a round-tripper in eight straight contests.
1987 In his major league debut, Ken Caminiti hits a triple and a homer and scores the winning run in the ninth inning when the Astros edge the visiting Phillies, 2-1. The Houston rookie is just the fourth big leaguer to have hit a home run and triple in his first game.
1990 Minnesota becomes the first team in baseball history to turn two triple plays in the same game. The Twins’ multiple around-the-horn triple killings, accomplished after being started by the third baseman (5-5-4-3), aren’t enough when the team loses to the Red Sox at Fenway Park, 1-0.
1990 Bo Jackson homers three times off Andy Hawkins, going deep in the first, third, and fifth frames in the Royals’ 10-7 victory at Yankee Stadium, leaving the game after dislocating his shoulder attempting to catch a fly ball in the sixth inning. The Kansas City center fielder will blast another round-tripper in his first plate appearance on August 26th, giving him home runs in four consecutive at-bats, albeit 40 days apart.
1991 In a 9-8 extra-inning loss to Kansas City at Royals Stadium, Orioles DH Sam Horn becomes the first non-pitcher in major league history to strike out six consecutive times in a single game. In 1913, Carl Weilman, a hurler for the Browns, became the first major leaguer to accomplish the dubious feat.
1993 In a Northwest League contest, Jason Thompson’s error with two outs in the ninth inning spoils Glenn Dishman’s bid for a perfect game against the Yakima Bears. On a routine ground ball, the Spokane first baseman, anxious to begin celebrating his teammate’s accomplishment, pulls his foot off the bag before recording the final out.
1993 Mets southpaw Frank Tanana becomes the second of only two pitchers, along with Rick Reuschel, to give up a home run to both Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds when the Giants’ left fielder goes deep for the Giants’ only run in the team’s 3-1 loss at Candlestick Park. In 1976, Hank Aaron, finishing his career with the Brewers, hit a three-run homer, the 748th of his then-record 755 round-trippers, off the left-hander pitching for the Angels at the time.
2000 On the first pitch he sees in the major leagues, Chris Richard homers off Mike Lincoln, leading off the second inning of the Cardinals’ 8-3 victory over the Twins at the Metrodome. The 26-year-old rookie outfielder, who will play only six games for St. Louis, becomes only the fourth Redbird in franchise history to accomplish the feat.
2008 The Phillies trade minor league prospects Adrian Cardenas, Josh Outman, and Matthew Spencer to Oakland for right-hander Joe Blanton. The A’s Opening Day starter, currently 5-12 with a 4.96 ERA, is expected to deepen Philadelphia’s rotation.
2017 Ryan Zimmerman becomes the franchise home run leader with his 235th home run for the Nationals when he goes deep in the first inning off Reds Scott Feldman in the team’s 6-1 victory at Great American Ball Park. The 32-year-old Washington first baseman surpasses Vladimir Guerrero’s total from playing eight seasons with the Montreal Expos.
2019 Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, standing in front of the Cal Ripken statue at Camden Yards, tweets a thank you to ‘Mr. Cal’ for allowing him to borrow the Orioles Hall of Fame infielder’s number, promising to work and strive to be the next great 8 in Baltimore. The 23-year-old QB is true to his word, winning the NFL’s MVP in his second season in the league and at the same age as his idol.
2021 The unveiling of Marc Melon’s sculpture A Handshake for a Century immortalizes the handshake between Jackie Robinson and George Shuba after Robinson hits his first professional home run. ‘Shotgun’ Shuba extends his hand, marking the first welcoming gesture between a black and white player, while other teammates on the 1946 International League’s Montreal Royals fail to greet the rookie at home plate.
2021 “A shooting has been reported outside of the Third Base Gate at Nationals Park. Fans are encouraged to exit the ballpark via the CF and RF gates at this time.” -A TWEET, sent by the Nationals officials ten minutes after posting a message on the scoreboard informing fans to remain inside the stadium. After several loud gunshots echo from the left-field side of the ballpark, officials suspend Washington’s game against the Padres. The exchange of gunfire on a nearby street, causing some fans to seek cover in nearby dugouts, injures three people, including a woman who attended the game, suffering a non-life-threatening injury when hit by a bullet outside Nationals Park.
BASEBALL HALL OF FAME
JUD WILSON
3rd Baseman
Ernest Judson Wilson was known throughout the Negro Leagues as “Boojum” because of the sound of his hits bouncing off outfield walls. One article stated that he was “probably the hardest hitter Negro baseball has seen.”
Over a Negro Leagues career that lasted 21 seasons, Wilson hit .400 three times and was one of the most respected players in the game.
According to outfielder Ted Page, “Wilson was strong enough to go bear-huntin’ with a switch.” None other than the great Satchel Paige considered Wilson to be among the best hitters he ever faced,
Fearless and aggressive, Wilson terrorized pitchers with his hitting and umpires with his reputation for arguing almost every call. He was wide-shouldered and short-legged, standing only 5-foot- 8 and weighing 190 pounds. Batting left-handed, he played in both the Negro Leagues and the Cuban Winter League following a stint with the U.S. Army during World War I.
From the early 1920s through the end of World War II, Wilson starred for some of the greatest teams in all of black baseball, including the Baltimore Black Sox, Homestead Grays, Pittsburgh Crawfords and Philadelphia Stars. He regularly topped the .300 mark in batting average.
At third base, Wilson often used his chest to stop hard-hit balls. In the batter’s box, he would crowd the plate – ensuring that he was hit by pitches on a regular basis. However, he was known for playing through the many injuries and for a fierce competitive drive that he used to incite teammates to work harder.
Wilson passed away on June 24, 1963 and is buried at the Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2006.
FOOTBALL HISTORY
ABC takes a subtle approach to the USFL’s historic title game
July 17, 1983 – The very first USFL Championship game was played as the Michigan Panthers defeated the Philadelphia Stars 24-22. Bobby Hebert and Anthony Carter led the Panther attack on offense. Quarterback Hebert went 20 of 39 for 314 yards and three touchdowns to garner the Most valuable Player honors of the then nameless summer time bowl game. Nine of Bobby’s passes were caught by Carter who posted a very impressive 179 yards of receiving including a 48 yard scoring play with just 3;01 remaining in the game to seal off what looked like it may be another Stars comeback. Philly was coming off a rally from three scores back to knock off Chicago in the semi-final just a week earlier. Keith Jackson and Lynn Swann were in the broadcast booth while they used the expertise of Tim Brant on the sidelines to get the scoop from players on many things including injuries. As for the Michigan Panthers they had some great talent on the roster beside Anthony Carter and Bobby Hebert. According to the StatCrew.com website their leading rusher that season was Ken Lacy who carried the ball for a team-best 1,180. John Corker topped the defensive unit with 28.5 quarterback sacks, part of an overall team total of 74 sacks. The had a strong leader patrolling the sidelines too as Jim Stanley coached the team. The StatCrew site tells us that the ’83 Stars were loaded too. Besides being coached by Jim Mora the Philly team featured running back extraordinaire, Kelvin Bryant who carried the ball for a team-leading 1,442 yards. Signal caller, Chuck Fusina threw for 2,718 yards while wideout Willie Collier added 771 receiving yards.
The USFL was founded in 1982 and played for (3) seasons (1983 through 1985). It now looks like after more than 30 some odd years that the Spring League may return as the USFL in 2022.
Prime Foils Bo’s 4th Wall Beater
July 17, 1990 – NY Yankee and NFL legend Deion Sanders, hits an Inside the Park Homerun. “Prime Time” Sanders was the most recent 2 sport star in American Sports history. This homerun stopped an opportunity for another NFL player that had the second job playing on the diamond during the summer from hitting a fourth ball over the fence. Bo Jackson, suited up for the Kansas City Royals belted three round trippers against the Yanks that day in a 10-7 Royals win. So you may ask how did Sanders foil Bo’s final attempt at an HR? Well according to the NY Daily News when Prime Time cracked his shot to the gap Jax dove for the ball missing it and as Sanders raced around the diamond touching all of the bases the camera panned back to Jackson who laid prone in the outfield. Bo had to leave the game with a separated shoulder and could not take his final at bat. Yes once again NFL Football history on the diamond!
Art Monk Retires
July 17, 1997 – The prolific NFL wide receiver, Art Monk retired after playing 16 NFL seasons. According to NFL.com Monk was a three time Super Bowl Champion with the Washington franchise. Art played in three Pro Bowls, was a 1984 1st-Team All-Pro when he was tops in NFL receptions that season with 106 catches and even made it to the Hall of Fame’s 1980’s All-Decade Team. His 888 receptions and 12026 receiving yards place him first in the record books in Washington Football Team history.
Counting Pigskin Benjamins
July 17, 2018 – Bloomberg Media publishes an estimate that the NFL made $14 billion in revenue in 2017 and distributed a record $255 million to each of the League’s 32 franchises. Reports say that more than half of the League’s revenue comes from lucrative television deals while the balance is from merchandising, ticket sales etc…
HALL OF FAME BIRTHDAY FOR JULY 17
July 17, 1927 – Garden City, Kansas – Thurman “Fum” McGraw was a tackle from Colorado State, which at the time was known as Colorado A&M, who was selected into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1981. Fum was a former boxer and wrestler and these sports gave him unique foot work and arm strength that made it a real challenge for opposing defenders to get by. Before he attended Colorado State though he served a tour of duty with the U.S. Marine Corp in World War II according to the National Football Foundation. The first couple of seasons for McGraw at Colorado State were brutal at best, but things turned for the better in 1948 as everything came together for the squad as the Rams posted surprising upsets over rivals Utah State, Wyoming, Brigham Young and arch rival Colorado. The 1949 campaign, McGraw’s last as a four- year letterman, was even better for the Rams as they logged an impressive 9-1-0 record marred only by a loss to Wyoming. Mr. McGraw joined the Detroit Lions after graduation and he won the Rookie of the Year award and All-Pro honors.
NUMBERS IN SPORTS
3 – 5 – 45 – 20
July 17, 1900 – It was the start of a great era on the mound for the New York Giants even though it may not have felt like it. Rookie hurler Christy Mathewson began his career that day but lost the game to the Brooklyn Superbas. Mathewson would enjoy the better part of 16 seasons in New York winning 373 games and holding a career ERA of 2.13.
July 17, 1902 – The Baltimore Orioles forfeited a game to the St Louis Browns for having only 5 players available to play. they then forfeited their franchise back to the AL. Apparently this was the final dominoes to fall in a wild transaction. John Mahon the Orioles owner at the beginning of the 1902 season, sold his interest in the Orioles to Andrew Freedman, principal owner of the Giants, and John T. Brush, principal owner of the Cincinnati Reds, also of the NL. These fellas had some alterior motives in the purchase of the franchise that was in dire financial straights. It all started when Mahon and his then manager John McGraw feuded making McGraw resign and take a position with the New York Giants (see our July 16 post). The transaction of buyout was reported to have been in the range of $20,000 ($626,385 in current dollar terms). That day, Freedman and Brush released Joe Kelley, Joe McGinnity, Roger Bresnahan, Jack Cronin, Cy Seymour, and Dan McGann from their Oriole contracts. Brush then signed Kelley and Seymour to the Reds, while Freedman signed McGinnity, Bresnahan, Cronin, and McGann, joining McGraw, his new player-manager, on the Giants. This initial version of the Orioles franchise in utter shambles moved to New York in 1903 when Frank Farrell and Bill Devery purchased the franchise rights to the defunct team and rebranded them as the New York Highlanders and they of course eventually became the New York Yankees.
July 17, 1922 – Ty Cobb clobbered 5 hits in a single game for record 4th time in a one year period. His at bats that day against the Boston Red Sox, included a home run, a double and three RBIs. Not a bad day at all for the Georgia Peach.
July 17, 1924 – St Louis Cardinals ace Jesse Haines no-hit the Boston Braves line-up, in 5-0 blanking.
July 17, 1925 – Tris Speaker, became the fifth MLB player to reach the 3,000 hit milestone. Speaker who was playing for the Cleveland Indians then led the AL with a .479 On-Base-Percentage that season.
July 17, 1934 – New York Yankees Number 3, Babe Ruth drew his 2,000th base on balls at Cleveland. The Great Bambino walked a grand total of 2062 times in his 22 year career.
July 17, 1941 – New York Yankee Number 5, Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak ended in Cleveland as the Indians kept him off of the basepaths, at least through hits.
July 17, 1974 – Bob Gibson, Number 45 for the St Louis Cardinals became just the second pitcher to strike-out 3,000 batters when he sat down Cesar Geronimo, Number 20 of the Cincinnati Reds to reach the MLB milestone.
FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME
JON ARNETT
Position: Halfback
Years: 1954-1956
Place of Birth: Los Angeles, CA
Date of Birth: Apr 30, 1935
Place of Death: Lake Oswego, OR
Date of Death: Jan. 16, 2021
Jersey Number: 26
Height: 5-11
Weight: 197
High School: Los Angeles, CA (Manual Arts HS)
Excelling as both a running back and punt and kickoff returner, “Jaguar” Jon Arnett did everything, earning his nickname for his acrobatic agility (honed as a gymnast growing up) and elusiveness as a ball carrier.
Arnett, listed at 5-11 and 197 pounds, started as a sophomore in 1954, leading the Trojans in rushing (601 yards), scoring (55 points), punt returns (129 yards) and interceptions (3). He also completed 17 passes for 164 yards. USC played in the Rose Bowl that season.
In 1955, he was again tops in most categories, leading USC in rushing (672 yards), total offense (822 yards), scoring (108 points), kickoff returns (418 yards) and punt returns (282 yards). He also completed 12 passes for 150 yards, and he scored 108 points with 15 touchdowns and 18 extra points.
As a senior co-captain in 1956, Arnett played just half the season due to conference penalties against the Trojans. He still finished 10th in the Heisman Trophy voting and won the Pop Warner Award (top senior on the West Coast). He rushed for 625 yards and averaged 6.3 yards per rush while leading Troy in scoring (43 points), and he even threw a touchdown pass. After the season, he played in the College All-Star Game, East-West Shrine Game and Hula Bowl.
He made first team All-Pacific 8 Conference in 1955-56 and All-America in 1955. He won the Voit Trophy as best player on the Pacific Coast in 1955-56. His career stats include an average of 24.4 yards on kickoff returns and 15.6 on punt returns. He still ranks in USC’s career Top 25 lists for rushing (1,898 yards), punt returns (430 yards) and kickoff returns (430 yards).
Arnett also starred on the track team, and in 1954, he placed second in the long jump at the NCAA meet, helping USC win the team title.
The second pick in the 1957 NFL Draft, he played seven seasons (five as a pro bowler) with the Los Angeles Rams from 1957-63 and then with the Chicago Bears 1964-66. After his playing days, Arnett worked in the sales and marketing, real estate development, stock brokerage, executive search, advertising, mortgage banking and investment counseling industries. Most recently, he had a food distribution business.
Arnett was born April 30, 1934, in Los Angeles. He attended Manual Arts High School. He was inducted into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame in its 1994 inaugural class and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2001. He and his wife Jane founded the Retired Professional Athlete Association in 2005 to advocate on behalf of retired football players and their families.
Arnett passed away Jan. 16, 2021, of heart failure in Lake Oswego, Oregon. He was 85.
TV SPORTS SUNDAY
| GOLF | TIME ET | TV |
| Champions Tour: Kaulig Companies Championship | 12:00pm | GOLF |
| LPGA Tour: Dana Open | 3:00pm | CBS |
| PGA Tour: Barbasol Championship | 4:00pm | GOLF |
| MLB REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| San Francisco at Pittsburgh | 12:05pm | Peacock NBCS-BAY ATTSN-PIT |
| Chi. White Sox at Atlanta | 1:30pm | NBCS-CHI Bally SPorts |
| San Diego at Philadelphia | 1:35pm | MLBN NBCS-PHI Bally Sports |
| Miami at Baltimore | 1:35pm | MASN/2 Bally Sports |
| Arizona at Toronto | 1:37pm | Bally Sports Sportsnet |
| LA Dodgers at NY Mets | 1:40pm | MLBN Spectrum SNY |
| Milwaukee at Cincinnati | 1:40pm | Bally Sports |
| Tampa Bay at Kansas City | 2:10pm | Bally Sports |
| Washington at St. Louis | 2:15pm | Bally Sports MASN/2 |
| Boston at Chi. Cubs | 2:20pm | NESN MARQ |
| Cleveland at Texas | 2:35pm | Bally Sports |
| NY Yankees at Colorado | 3:10pm | YES ATTSN-RM |
| Houston at LA Angels | 4:07pm | Bally Sports ATTSN-SW |
| Minnesota at Oakland | 4:07pm | MLBN NBCS-CA Bally Sports |
| Detroit at Seattle | 4:10pm | MLBN Bally Sports Root Sports |
| MOTORSPORTS | TIME ET | TV |
| IndyCar: Indy Toronto | 1:30pm | Peacock |
| NASCAR Cup: Crayon 301 | 2:30pm | USA |
| NHRA: The Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-High Nationals | 4:00pm | FS1 |
| NBA SUMMER LEAGUE | TIME ET | TV |
| Philadelphia vs. New Orleans | 3:30pm | NBATV |
| Brooklyn vs. Cleveland | 4:00pm | ESPN |
| Detroit vs. Indiana | 5:30pm | NBATV |
| Utah vs. Houston | 6:00pm | ESPN2 |
| Oklahoma City vs. San Antonio | 7:30pm | NBATV |
| Miami vs. Portland | 8:00pm | ESPN2 |
| Atlanta vs. Dallas | 9:30pm | NBATV |
| LA Lakers vs. LA Clippers | 10:00pm | ESPN2 |
| SOCCER MATCHES | TIME ET | TV |
| Brasileirão: Internacional vs Palmeiras | 10:00am | Paramount+ |
| Brasileirão: Fortaleza vs Cuiabá | 3:00pm | Paramount+ |
| Brasileirão: São Paulo vs Santos | 3:00pm | Paramount+ |
| Brasileirão: Fluminense vs Flamengo | 3:00pm | Paramount+ |
| Brasileirão: Athletico-PR vs Bahia | 5:30pm | Paramount+ |
| Brasileirão: Cruzeiro vs Coritiba | 5:30pm | Paramount+ |
| Brasileirão: Goiás vs Atlético Mineiro | 5:30pm | Paramount+ |
| Liga MX: Pachuca vs Pumas UNAM | 9:00pm | VIX |
| TENNIS | TIME ET | TV |
| Wimbledon Men’s Final | 9:00am | ESPN |