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“THE SCOREBOARD”
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WNBA SCORES
MINNESOTA 109 LAS VEGAS 78
NEW YORK 89 PHOENIX 76
GOLDEN STATE 86 DALLAS 76
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MLB SCORES
MIAMI 5 MILWAUKEE 1
ARIZONA 1 PITTSBURGH 0 (11)
COLORADO 6 BALTIMORE 5
PHILADELPHIA 12 NY YANKEES 5
TORONTO 6 DETROIT 2
LA DODGERS 5 BOSTON 2
CINCINNATI 7 TAMPA BAY 2
ST. LOUIS 3 SAN DIEGO 0
CHICAGO WHITE SOX 12 CHICAGO CUBS 5
TEXAS 8 ATLANTA 3
LAS VEGAS 15 HOUSTON 3
MINNESOTA 1 WASHINGTON 0
LA ANGELS 3 SEATTLE 2 (10)
NY METS 8 SAN FRANCISCO 1
CLEVELAND AT KANSAS CITY POSTPONED
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MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
TOLEDO 4 INDIANAPOLIS 3
DAYTON 4 SOUTH BEND 1
CEDAR RAPIDS 4 FT. WAYNE 3
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MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
MONTRÉAL 3 NEW ENGLAND 1
NEW YORK CITY 4 DALLAS 3
ORLANDO CITY 3 COLUMBUS 1
PORTLAND 1 LOS ANGELES 0
SAN DIEGO 1 NASHVILLE 0
HOUSTON AT LA GALAXY POSTPONED
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COLTS TRAINING CAMP SCHEDULE
SAT., JULY 26: PRACTICE (4-5:30 P.M.)
MON., JULY 28: PRACTICE (10-11:15 A.M.)
TUE., JULY 29: PRACTICE (10-11:30 A.M.)
THUR., JULY 31: PRACTICE (8-10 P.M.)
SAT., AUG. 2: PRACTICE (10-11:35 A.M.)
SUN., AUG. 3: PRACTICE (10-11:30 A.M.)
SAT., AUG. 9: PRACTICE (4-5:10 P.M.)
SUN., AUG. 10: PRACTICE (4-5:30 P.M.)
MON., AUG. 11: PRACTICE (4-5:40 P.M.)
THUR., AUG. 14: PRACTICE (3-5 P.M.)
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2025 NFL PRE-SEASON SCHEDULE
NFL/HALL OF FAME GAME – JULY 31
L.A. CHARGERS VS. DETROIT (NBC), 8:00
*****WEEK 1*****
THURSDAY, AUGUST 7
INDIANAPOLIS AT BALTIMORE, 7:00
CINCINNATI AT PHILADELPHIA, 7:30
LAS VEGAS AT SEATTLE, 10:00
FRIDAY, AUGUST 8
DETROIT AT ATLANTA, 7:00
CLEVELAND AT CAROLINA, 7:00
WASHINGTON AT NEW ENGLAND, 7:30
SATURDAY, AUGUST 9
N.Y. GIANTS AT BUFFALO, 1:00
HOUSTON AT MINNESOTA, 4:00
PITTSBURGH AT JACKSONVILLE, 7:00
DALLAS AT L.A. RAMS, 7:00
TENNESSEE AT TAMPA BAY, 7:30
KANSAS CITY AT ARIZONA, 8:00
N.Y. JETS AT GREEN BAY, 8:00
DENVER AT SAN FRANCISCO, 8:30
SUNDAY, AUGUST 10
MIAMI AT CHICAGO, 1:00
NEW ORLEANS AT L.A. CHARGERS, 4:05
*****WEEK 2*****
FRIDAY, AUGUST 15
TENNESSEE AT ATLANTA, 7:00
KANSAS CITY AT SEATTLE, 10:00
SATURDAY, AUGUST 16
MIAMI AT DETROIT, 1:00
CAROLINA AT HOUSTON, 1:00
GREEN BAY AT INDIANAPOLIS, 1:00
NEW ENGLAND AT MINNESOTA, 1:00
CLEVELAND AT PHILADELPHIA, 1:00
SAN FRANCISCO AT LAS VEGAS, 4:00
BALTIMORE AT DALLAS, 7:00
L.A. CHARGERS AT L.A. RAMS, 7:00
N.Y. JETS AT N.Y. GIANTS, 7:00
TAMPA BAY AT PITTSBURGH, 7:00
ARIZONA AT DENVER, 9:30
SUNDAY, AUGUST 17
JACKSONVILLE AT NEW ORLEANS, 1:00
BUFFALO AT CHICAGO (FOX), 8:00
MONDAY, AUGUST 18
CINCINNATI AT WASHINGTON (ESPN), 8:00
*****WEEK 3*****
THURSDAY, AUGUST 21
PITTSBURGH AT CAROLINA, 7:00
NEW ENGLAND AT N.Y. GIANTS (PRIME VIDEO), 8:00
FRIDAY, AUGUST 22
PHILADELPHIA AT N.Y. JETS, 7:30
ATLANTA AT DALLAS, 8:00
MINNESOTA AT TENNESSEE (CBS), 8:00
CHICAGO AT KANSAS CITY, 8:20
SATURDAY, AUGUST 23
BALTIMORE AT WASHINGTON, NOON
INDIANAPOLIS AT CINCINNATI, 1:00
L.A. RAMS AT CLEVELAND, 1:00
HOUSTON AT DETROIT, 1:00
DENVER AT NEW ORLEANS, 1:00
SEATTLE AT GREEN BAY, 4:00
JACKSONVILLE AT MIAMI, 7:00
BUFFALO AT TAMPA BAY, 7:30
L.A. CHARGERS AT SAN FRANCISCO, 8:30
LAS VEGAS AT ARIZONA, 10:00
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WEEK ONE SCHEDULE
| THURSDAY, SEPT. 4, 2025 | |||
| DALLAS COWBOYS AT PHILADELPHIA EAGLES | 8:20P (ET) | 8:20P | NBC |
| FRIDAY, SEPT. 5, 2025 | |||
| KANSAS CITY CHIEFS VS LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (SAO PAULO) | 9:00P (BRT) | 8:00P | YOUTUBE |
| SUNDAY, SEPT. 07, 2025 | |||
| TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS AT ATLANTA FALCONS | 1:00P (ET) | 1:00P | FOX |
| CINCINNATI BENGALS AT CLEVELAND BROWNS | 1:00P (ET) | 1:00P | FOX |
| MIAMI DOLPHINS AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS | 1:00P (ET) | 1:00P | CBS |
| CAROLINA PANTHERS AT JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS | 1:00P (ET) | 1:00P | FOX |
| LAS VEGAS RAIDERS AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS | 1:00P (ET) | 1:00P | CBS |
| ARIZONA CARDINALS AT NEW ORLEANS SAINTS | 12:00P (CT) | 1:00P | CBS |
| PITTSBURGH STEELERS AT NEW YORK JETS | 1:00P (ET) | 1:00P | CBS |
| NEW YORK GIANTS AT WASHINGTON COMMANDERS | 1:00P (ET) | 1:00P | FOX |
| TENNESSEE TITANS AT DENVER BRONCOS | 2:05P (MT) | 4:05P | FOX |
| SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS AT SEATTLE SEAHAWKS | 1:05P (PT) | 4:05P | FOX |
| DETROIT LIONS AT GREEN BAY PACKERS | 3:25P (CT) | 4:25P | CBS |
| HOUSTON TEXANS AT LOS ANGELES RAMS | 1:25P (PT) | 4:25P | CBS |
| BALTIMORE RAVENS AT BUFFALO BILLS | 8:20P (ET) | 8:20P | NBC |
| MONDAY, SEPT. 8, 2025 | |||
| MINNESOTA VIKINGS AT CHICAGO BEARS | 7:15P (CT) | 8:15P | ABC/ESPN |
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TOP NATIONAL HEADLINES/PRESS RELEASES
NFL NEWS
NFL FINING MORE THAN 100 PLAYERS FOR SELLING SUPER BOWL TICKETS ABOVE FACE VALUE, AP SOURCE SAYS
The NFL is fining about 100 players and two dozen club employees for violating league policy by selling Super Bowl 59 tickets for above face value, a person with knowledge of the details told The Associated Press on Friday.
The person, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation, said the players who resold their tickets will have to pay a fine of 1 1/2 times the face value they paid. They also won’t be permitted to buy tickets for the next two Super Bowls unless they are playing in the game.
Club employees who violated the policy will be fined two times face value.
In a memo sent to teams and obtained by the AP, NFL head of compliance Sabrina Perel said the league was still completing its investigation.
“Our initial investigation has determined that a number of NFL players and coaches, employed by several NFL Clubs, sold Super Bowl tickets for more than the ticket’s face value in violation of the Policy. This long-standing League Policy, which is specifically incorporated into the Collective Bargaining Agreement, prohibits League or Club employees, including players, from selling NFL game tickets acquired from their employer for more than the ticket’s face value or for an amount greater than the employee originally paid for the ticket, whichever is less. We are in the process of completing our investigation into this matter, but the investigation has revealed that club employees and players sold their tickets to a small number of ‘bundlers’ who were working with a ticket reseller to sell the Super Bowl tickets above face value.”
The “bundlers” will face increased penalties, per the memo.
According to the CBA, players on all 32 teams can purchase two tickets for the Super Bowl.
“In advance of Super Bowl LX, we will be enhancing the mandatory compliance training regarding the Policy for all League personnel, which will emphasize the specific requirements of the Policy and the broader principle that no one should profit personally from their NFL affiliation at the expense of our fans,” Perel said in the memo. “We will also increase the penalties for future violations of this Policy. All clubs must ensure their personnel understand and comply with this policy. Additional details regarding the enhanced compliance measures will be provided in early fall.”
The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs on Feb. 9 in a Super Bowl rematch from two years ago.
ROOKIE DEFENSIVE END SHEMAR STEWART ENDS HOLDOUT, SIGNS $18.97 MILLION DEAL WITH BENGALS
Shemar Stewart and the Cincinnati Bengals agreed to a contract on Friday, ending the rookie defensive end’s three-day holdout from training camp.
Stewart’s agent, Zac Hiller of LAA, said the four-year deal is worth $18.97 million guaranteed, including a $10.4 million signing bonus.
The Bengals and Stewart were deadlocked over contract language that could potentially void future guarantees if there are any off-field incidents or conduct detrimental to the team.
Other teams have had that language, but this was the first time Cincinnati included that provision with a first-round pick.
Stewart, the 17th overall pick in April’s draft, eventually agreed to the provision, but got more of his signing bonus now instead of later in the season.
Stewart had only 4 1/2 total sacks during three seasons at Texas A&M, but at 6-foot-5 and 267 pounds they are hoping to refine his pass rushing skills as well as step into the starting lineup for the Sept. 7 opener at Cleveland.
When Stewart does step onto the practice field, it will be his first time suiting up as a
“He learned a lot in the classroom, but at the end of the day for us when it comes down to technique and just our core fundamentals, the only way to go out there and create great habits is to do it every day,” defensive coordinator Al Golden said on Monday. “So from that standpoint, there was a time constraint there on what he’s done on the field. And obviously we need to get him out there and get him going.”
Trey Hendrickson — the Bengals other projected starter at defensive end — remains away from training camp as the two sides try to reach a contract extension. Hendrickson led the NFL with 17 1/2 sacks last season and is seeking a deal that matches what the league’s top pass rushers are earning.
Cincinnati was 9-8 last season, but missed the playoffs for the second straight season due to its struggles on defense. The Bengals finished 25th in the league in total defense (348.3 yards allowed per game) and lost four games last season in which they scored at least 30 points.
Stewart’s signing means Cleveland running back Quinshon Judkins is the only unsigned NFL draft pick. Judkins, the 36th overall selection, was arrested on July 12 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on a charge of battery and domestic violence. Browns general manager Andrew Berry said on Thursday the team is continuing to gather more information on the incident, which is why Judkins remains unsigned.
WITH NEW CONTRACT, JA’MARR CHASE ALREADY PLAYING HARD AT BENGALS TRAINING CAMP
CINCINNATI (AP) — Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase didn’t participate in training camp last year as he tried to negotiate a contract extension.
While he went on to become the sixth wide receiver in the Super Bowl era to lead the league in receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches in the same season, Chase still felt like he missed something by not being a part of practices leading up to the first week of the season.
“I love to work,” Chase said. “I’m a workaholic. I love to work. Joe asked me today, am I tired? I said, ‘Call the play while I’m tired.’ At the end of the day, when it’s the fourth quarter and I’m tired, they’re not going to ask me if I’m tired. It’s all about how hard you can push yourself at the end of the day, especially on days like this. As long as you get 1% better each day, that’s how you improve.”
Chase was present at all of training camp last year, but he watched it from the sideline as a part of a hold-in. He went on to receive the lucrative contract he was looking for in March, but he bet on himself entering 2024 and played on his rookie contract.
He only received a few last-minute practice reps leading into the first week of the 2024 season. While he started a bit slow, Chase still had a terrific season. He was a unanimous All-Pro last season, finishing the year with 127 receptions for 1,708 receiving yards as well as 17 receiving touchdowns.
But Chase’s two worst games of the season were the first two weeks. That included an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in Week 2 at Kansas City after he thought a penalty should have been called for a hip-drop tackle on him.
“I had great legs last year,” Chase said. “Like I said, I love to work. At the end of the day, I get to work on stuff that I didn’t work on last year and getting that real feel from the (defensive back) and working on certain things that I wanted to do this year. I get a chance to do it in camp now instead of just doing it in games.”
Chase has been an active receiver and target of quarterback Joe Burrow during the first two training camp practices.
“There’s a reason you’re All-Pro at the end of the day and one of the best in the league,” Chase said. “So you’re supposed to have on and off switch and go out and do it.”
This season, as All-Pro defensive end Trey Hendrickson enters the final year of his contract, he’s in a similar position as Chase was last season. Unlike Chase, Hendrickson isn’t present on the sidelines at Bengals practices. Hendrickson is working out in Florida as he tries to negotiate a new contract.
“I don’t really know much about what Trey got going on in his situation,” Chase said. “I’m not in his situation anymore. I’m sure everyone wants to be treated the same. That’s the hard part with stuff like this. End of the day, it’s not really him making the decision. I just wish the best for him and hope he pulls it off.”
VIKINGS SIDELINE JUSTIN JEFFERSON WITH ‘VERY MILD’ HAMSTRING STRAIN
EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings will keep wide receiver Justin Jefferson off the field for awhile because of a mild strain of his left hamstring.
Coach Kevin O’Connell said before practice on Friday that Jefferson would be re-evaluated next week. The two-time All-Pro, who has the most receiving yards in NFL history through a player’s first five years, felt some tightness in his leg during the team’s session on Thursday and cut short his participation as a precaution. The Vikings sent him for an MRI exam afterward.
O’Connell described the injury as “very mild” and said he had no concern about Jefferson being ready for the season opener at Chicago on Sept. 8, which is more than six weeks away. Still, considering his value to the team, the type of the injury and the demands of his position, Jefferson figures to miss more than just a few days of training camp practices.
Jefferson suffered a significant strain of his right hamstring in 2023 that caused him to miss seven games.
PETE CARROLL SAYS THE RAIDERS DIDN’T RUSH INTO DECISION TO RELEASE CHRISTIAN WILKINS
HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Raiders coach Pete Carroll said Friday the club didn’t rush into its decision to release defensive tackle Christian Wilkins a day earlier over a dispute regarding his recovery from a broken foot.
“We took a long time to make our decision,” Carroll said. “We watched our way through the whole thing. We’re keeping it really clear with what we said. I think there was no clear path to his return, so we just had to move on.”
His comments largely echoed the unusually strongly worded statement issued by the Las Vegas organization on Thursday, in which the Raiders said Wilkins failed to provide a “clear path or plan for future return to play.”
Wilkins was injured in Week 5 last season and had some sort of setback in his recovery that took him out of offseason practices and landed him on the physically unable to perform list shortly before training camp opened Wednesday.
Wilkins, 29, was the Raiders’ marquee free-agent signing last year, agreeing to a four-year, $110 million contract with $82.75 million guaranteed. The Raiders reportedly are trying to void the remaining $35.25 million of Wilkins’ deal.
Wilkins has filed a grievance with the NFL Players Association, a person with knowledge of the situation said. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the topic.
The Raiders will have a dead salary cap hit of $29.8 million even if they win the grievance.
With Wilkins off the roster, Adam Butler and Jonah Laulu ran first team at tackle this week in practice. Butler started 16 games last season, finishing with 65 tackles, eight for loss and five sacks. Laulu started seven games as a rookie, making 35 tackles, with three for loss and a sack. Both players were in all 17 games.
“This place is about competition,” Carroll said. “It always has been. It’s wide open. I’m not going to talk about any names right now. If you watch the rotations, we’re giving everybody a chance. We’re mixing the (starters) with the (backups) all the way throughout just to gather a bunch of information.”
The Raiders announced Friday they picked up defensive tackle Keondre Coburn off waivers from Tennessee. He has 22 tackles, one for loss, over the past two seasons with the Titans and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Wilkins was brought to Las Vegas to add an even stronger presence to a defensive line that includes pass rushers Maxx Crosby and Malcolm Koonce. He had a career-high nine sacks in 2023 with Miami to go with his elite run-stopping ability.
The hopes of forming one of the NFL’s most imposing defensive lines took a major hit when all three linemen suffered season-ending injuries, though Crosby and Koonce are back practicing. Crosby was nearly impossible to block Friday as the team continued to work in non-padded practices.
Wilkins had two sacks and 17 tackles in five games before injuring his foot, which required surgery. He suffered a Jones fracture — a break of the bone that connects the pinkie toe to the base of the foot.
JETS TO HAVE OFFICIALS AT CAMP TO REDUCE PENALTIES, SAYS COACH AARON GLENN
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — The New York Jets hope seeing more black-and-white stripes in training camp will result in fewer yellow flags during the season.
Coach Aaron Glenn said Friday the team will often have officials at practice through the summer after the Jets, under the previous regime of coach Robert Saleh, led the NFL in penalties the last two seasons.
New York rarely used officials during training camp practices last summer. Many NFL teams hire officials for at least some of their camp practices, giving players the opportunity to get used to how plays are called in a non-game environment.
“I want the officials here as much as possible and they know that,” Glenn said. “It’s no secret that we were the most-penalized team in the league last year, so that’s one of the things that I want to nip in the bud early — making sure that the discipline part of what we do, that we fix that now.
“You cannot win games in this league with an undisciplined team, so all the penalties that we had last year, we’re knocking those things out.”
Last season, the Jets were penalized 137 times, five more than Tennessee and Baltimore, and finished 5-12 — with Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas both fired in the middle of the season. In 2023, New York was called for 124 penalties, nine more than Cleveland and Dallas, and went 7-10.
“The officials are going to be here and we’re going to knock that out, all right,” Glenn said. “I will tell you this: We are going to knock these penalties out. We’re going to understand that undisciplined teams do not win games.”
Philadelphia, last year’s Super Bowl champion, ranked 11th in the NFL with 103 penalties. Kansas City, the AFC champion, was fourth with 94. The Los Angeles Rams, who won the NFC West, had the fewest penalties in the league with 91.
Glenn said there are two types of calls on players during games: pre-snap penalties — “the dumb penalties” — and competitive penalties, including pass interference.
“The competitive penalties, listen, you go back and forth with those, right?” Glenn said. “Like P.I., guys are fighting. Those are competitive penalties. Holds, those are competitive. Now, false starts, jumping offside, hitting after plays, the dumb stuff, we’ve got to knock those out. And we control those. And those are the things I want to make sure we get rid of.”
SHEDEUR SANDERS UNFAZED BY LACK OF FIRST-TEAM REPS AT BROWNS CAMP
BEREA, Ohio (AP) — If Shedeur Sanders is frustrated about not receiving any snaps with the first team during the first week of the Cleveland Browns’ training camp, he isn’t showing it.
Sanders said on Friday that it is out of his control and not his place to answer why he has worked mainly with the third and fourth teams during the first three days of practice.
“I’m not even going to think about that or have that even in my thought process of why it is,” Sanders said. “It doesn’t make me feel down or it doesn’t make me feel left out or anything because I know who I am as a person. I know who I am as an individual, and I know what I could bring to this team.”
Sanders — selected by the Browns in the fifth round after a precipitous fall in April’s draft — did get some work with the second team for the first time on Friday. He had one of the best throws of the 80-minute practice on a completion down the middle to tight end Blake Whiteheart during 11-on-11 drills.
Sanders showed he could bounce back after a bad day of practice. He was unable to throw a pass during a four-play red zone drill on Thursday after snap issues on two plays, a false start, and what would have been a sack.
“I know whenever I get my opportunity, I’ve got to maximize it,” he said. “I just got to think about what I could do to get better even if I’m not getting reps.”
Coach Kevin Stefanski didn’t say if Sanders would receive any first-team snaps. Stefanski did note, though, that he has been happy with Sanders’ progress over the past couple of months.
“Yeah, I think Shedeur does a nice job of keeping the main thing, the main thing. He’s working hard and keeping his head down,” Stefanski said.
There have been 13 sets of 11-on-11 drills during the first three days. Joe Flacco has had the most work with the first team with seven, Kenny Pickett has had five and third-round pick Dillon Gabriel one.
Flacco and Pickett are the two main combatants in the four-man competition to see who will be the starter for the Sept. 7 opener against the Cincinnati Bengals.
All four are getting plenty of snaps on the two practice fields, but there is a difference in who they are working with.
Sanders said the one advantage of not getting many snaps is that he has had the opportunity to learn more in-depth about everything instead of on the fly like he did at Jackson State and Colorado, where his father, Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders, instantly made him the starter.
Shedeur Sanders added that the area where he has made the most improvement is being more comfortable with the playbook.
“It’s always consistent growth, and it always feels like I just solved a puzzle or anything, like, all the time,” he said.
Quarterback coach Bill Musgrave — who was Deion Sanders’ teammate during San Francisco’s Super Bowl-winning season in 1994 — has been impressed with Sanders’ ability to call the play in the huddle as well as calling plays under center. He also added he has seen the same progress from Gabriel, a third-round pick.
When it comes to the outside pressures Sanders might face — including heightened expectations from fans — Musgrave said that everyone has pressure, but the approach has to remain the same.
“The focus has got to be on the techniques, the five-step drop, the seven-step drop, being accurate with our throws,” Musgrave said. “If we can focus on our trade, the external factors take a back seat, which is where they should remain.”
While some may waver from the expectations, Sanders has embraced them. He has made a couple of appearances in the Cleveland area, including hosting a community event to benefit residents displaced after an apartment complex fire.
He also accepted responsibility for two speeding tickets last month. However, things that are happening off the field are the last thing on Sanders’ mind over the next five weeks.
“The external is cool. I’m thankful for it,” he said. “But hey, when I get out there, I’m not thinking about external. I’m thinking about more, in the organization, thinking about getting the play calls, executing my job, and doing what I’ve got to do.”
LAMAR JACKSON AND JAIRE ALEXANDER REUNITE AT RAVENS CAMP. THEY WERE TEAMMATES AT LOUISVILLE
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Lamar Jackson wasted little time putting Jaire Alexander to the test during training camp.
“He tried to throw a back-shoulder on me with ‘D-Hop’ (DeAndre Hopkins), so I had to give him a little jazz about that,” Alexander said. “I said, ‘Come on, man. I know it’s my first day, but it’s still me, you know what I mean? It’s still me.’”
Alexander and Jackson go way back — they were teammates at Louisville — and when Alexander joined the Baltimore Ravens this offseason, the two were reunited. The fit made sense with Baltimore looking for some secondary help, and the chance to play with Jackson again sweetened the deal even more.
Alexander suggested Wednesday he probably would have explored more options if Jackson weren’t on the Ravens.
“That’s my boy,” he said. “I want to win with him.”
Alexander is the answer to an interesting trivia question: Who was the first player out of Louisville taken in the 2018 draft? Green Bay picked the defensive back at No. 18 — 14 spots before Baltimore selected Jackson.
It’s safe to say those picks worked out. Alexander spent his first seven seasons with the Packers, starting almost every game he played. But he dealt with injuries to his quadriceps, groin and knee last season and played only seven games. In fact, he’s exceeded seven games only once in the past four seasons.
Green Bay released him with two years left on his contract. When the Ravens picked him up, they posted video of Jackson greeting him.
“I tried to get him on a fade route with D-Hop,” Jackson said after practice Wednesday. “We were out of bounds a little, but he’s still that guy. Jaire’s still that guy.”
The Ravens will obviously hope so.
“We’ve been talking kind of me playing nickel, he’s playing corner and how I play things. So it has been exciting, but what I like the most is just his swag to the game,” cornerback Marlon Humphrey said. “I think confidence is the biggest key you can have at cornerback, and I think you can never have too much confidence.”
Baltimore’s secondary includes a veteran in Humphrey, plus a trio of recent first-round picks — fourth-year safety standout Kyle Hamilton, second-year cornerback Nate Wiggins and rookie safety Malachi Starks.
“I love the secondary. I love the potential that we have,” Alexander said. “I love watching Marlon play. I love being around him. I thought I was weird, but I don’t know, he might (have) me beat.”
Humphrey was asked about that assertion.
“We do the early morning lift at 6 a.m. It’s about eight of us, and he’s like, ‘Man, I need a speaker right here as loud as can be,’” Humphrey said. “We are not alike in that aspect at 6 a.m., but he’s a cool guy. We’re both, I would say, on a little bit of the strange side, but we’re really jelling well.”
Baltimore lost cornerback Brandon Stephens in the offseason, and safety Ar’Darius Washington went down with a torn Achilles tendon.
Alexander brings plenty of experience to the group and seems to be fitting in — in his own unique way.
“Like I said, he wants music blasting. He said, ‘I need a speaker right here,’” Humphrey said. “I was like, ‘We’ve got them in the ceiling.’ He said, ‘No, I need the boombox right by here, right in my ear,’ and I’m like, ‘All right, that’s different.’”
JETS QUARTERBACK JUSTIN FIELDS RETURNS A DAY AFTER DISLOCATING TOE, BUT DOESN’T PRACTICE
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Justin Fields was back on the field for the New York Jets, but he didn’t practice Friday — still a welcome sight for fans who were nervously holding their breath 24 hours earlier.
The quarterback dislocated a toe on his right foot early in practice Thursday and was carted from the field to the facility, where he had multiple tests before the team announced the diagnosis. Coach Aaron Glenn said Fields will be day to day and the Jets won’t rush him back into practice.
“It is early, but also we want to make sure we get as many reps as we can with him,” Glenn said Friday after the team’s first practice of training camp with fans in attendance. “So when he’s ready to come back, we’ll make sure he’s out on the field, make sure he’s getting those reps. Now, he’s going to be in meetings, he’s going to be in all those things.
“But for the most part, man, we’re going to work together and make sure it’s collaborative as far as when he gets back on the field.”
Fields wore his helmet as he spent most of practice on the sideline and with the rest of the offense while appearing to walk without a noticeable limp. Veteran backup Tyrod Taylor led the offense during practice, with Adrian Martinez and rookie Brady Cook also receiving snaps.
Fields was hurt when a teammate stepped on his foot while he threw an incomplete pass to Jeremy Ruckert on his fifth play of team drills. The quarterback sat on the grass for a few moments before getting up and limping badly to the sideline while helped by a trainer. He then sat in the passenger seat of a cart that took him from the field to the facility, where he got up and walked under his own power.
In the hours before the Jets confirmed the nature and severity of the injury, social media was buzzing about whether Fields could miss significant time.
“The huge storm that was created really made no sense,” Glenn said. “And I think that’s a lesson for all of us of, guys, let’s just wait until we get the diagnosis. And I will not BS you, all right? I will tell you exactly what it is and we’ll move on. So that shouldn’t happen again.”
Fields is in his first season with the Jets after playing last year in Pittsburgh. He spent his first three NFL seasons in Chicago after being the No. 11 overall pick in the 2021 draft out of Ohio State. Among the attributes that made him attractive to New York, which signed him to a two-year, $40 million deal in March, is his ability to make plays with his legs — something Glenn isn’t concerned will be compromised by the injury.
“If Justin gets back to practice, that means he’s ready to go,” Glenn said. “So he’s going to be himself and I’m not going to hold him back from being himself. Now, the thing is we don’t want anybody to step on his toe, but he has to be himself when he’s out there because, to me, I try to make sure practice emulates games as much as possible. So I want him to be himself as he’s going through his practice.”
In the meantime, Taylor — who turns 36 on Aug. 3 and is the Jets’ oldest player on the roster — will continue to work with the starting offense. He had a very solid practice until the final period, when the session ended on an interception by Andre Cisco.
“Justin is a brother of mine and I’ve been knowing him before he got here,” Taylor said, adding that the two often train together. “First and foremost, I wanted to make sure he was mentally good and physically good. I know that’s tough and it’s unfortunate in this game that we play that injuries happen, so you never want to see that happen to anyone, especially someone you know personally.”
GUARD JUSTIN PUGH ANNOUNCES HIS RETIREMENT AFTER 11 NFL SEASONS WITH THE GIANTS AND CARDINALS
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Longtime NFL guard Justin Pugh announced Friday he is retiring after playing 11 seasons with the New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals.
Pugh returned to Giants training camp to call it a career a few weeks before his 35th birthday with his wife, daughter and mother among those in attendance. The Syracuse product from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, played in 134 regular-season and playoff games from 2012-23.
“Even though I never dreamed of being an offensive lineman, it was my calling,” Pugh said. “I was built to work alongside other guys. I was built to be part of a five-man unit that had to work as one.”
Pugh spent his first five years as a pro with New York, then five with Arizona. He tore the ACL in his right knee in 2022 and returned for 12 more games with the Giants in 2023.
“Thought I was going to do another one,” Pugh said. “Just didn’t have it in the tank.”
Pugh has already dabbled in sports media, doing YouTube videos last season from attending Thursday night games and hosting on SiriusXM NFL Radio.
BROWNS STARTING LB JORDAN HICKS ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT
Cleveland Browns starting linebacker Jordan Hicks announced his retirement over social media on Friday.
A veteran of 10 NFL seasons, Hicks missed the first two days of training camp with what the team referred to as a personal matter.
“Football has given me more than I could have ever imagined,” Hicks posted on Instagram. “Purpose, discipline, brotherhood, and a platform to impact others. But most importantly it showed me who I am outside the game.
“I leave this chapter with deep gratitude for every lesson, challenge, and victory. I’m proud of what I accomplished on the field, but even more proud of the man I’ve become because of it.”
Hicks, 33, was expected to see his role increase with fellow linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah missing the 2025 seasons due to a neck injury.
Owusu-Koramoah hasn’t played since getting injured in Cleveland’s 29-24 win over the Baltimore Ravens on Oct. 27, 2024. He was carted off the field after colliding with Ravens running back Derrick Henry, whose right shoulder barreled into the linebacker’s head and neck area on a 10-yard run.
Devin Bush, Mohamoud Diabate, offseason acquisition Jerome Baker and second-round pick Carson Schwesinger will be looked upon to step up in the absence of Hicks and Owusu-Koramoah.
Hicks recorded 78 tackles and two sacks in 12 games (all starts) in his lone season with the Browns in 2024.
A Super Bowl LII winner with Philadelphia, Hick totaled 952 sacks, 16.5 sacks and 13 interceptions in 134 career games (131 starts) with the Eagles (2015-18), Arizona Cardinals (2019-21), Minnesota Vikings (2022-23) and Browns. He was selected by Philadelphia in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
JARED ALLEN’S 136 SACKS AND FUN-LOVING COWBOY STYLE FOR CHIEFS, VIKINGS HAVE HIM HALL OF FAME-BOUND
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jared Allen will be wearing a cowboy hat next weekend in Canton for his Hall of Fame induction, the signature apparel that inspired his celebratory calf-roping act after each sack and still serves as a fitting snapshot of his off-the-field life.
Raised on a horse ranch in Northern California, Allen was audacious enough at age 8 to tell his father he planned to become a professional football player.
He fulfilled that vision with a relentless vengeance on the offensive tackles tasked with blocking him and the quarterbacks who tried to escape, using exceptional quickness, creative moves and pure strength to accumulate 136 sacks and four first team All-Pro selections as a defensive end over a 12-year career in the NFL.
“When you’re doing what you love to do, you want to honor the game by being great, not in an arrogant way but in a way to show respect and gratitude for all those who came before you,” said Allen, who will be honored at the ceremony next weekend along with Antonio Gates, Eric Allen and Sterling Sharpe. “I always wanted to go out there and let people know I genuinely loved playing this game.”
First making his mark with the Kansas City Chiefs and then reaching another level with the Minnesota Vikings, Allen was one of the most fun-loving players of his generation.
That went all the way down to his routine of running away from the play, dropping to one knee, twirling his hand as if he had a lasso and pretending to catch a calf in a rodeo before extending both arms outward to the crowd. He was a showman who had plenty to show for it.
The crossroads of Allen’s career came upon consummation of the 2008 trade that sent him from the Chiefs to the Vikings, his promising start in the NFL tainted by off-the-field trouble that followed him from Idaho State.
Chiefs general manager Carl Peterson, who drafted Allen in the fourth round in 2004, soured on the prodigious pass rusher after two different citations for drunken driving in 2006 and declared him a “young man at risk.” Allen was irked by the lack of front-office support and asked to be dealt, absent a new contract.
After accumulating 15 1/2 sacks in 14 games in 2007 after serving a two-game suspension, Allen finally got his wish. Having given up alcohol after the second arrest, he redoubled his conditioning efforts in determination to prove his worth.
“I loved Kansas City. I wanted to spend my whole career there. Unfortunately, you learn the business side of the game can be a little ruthless, and I’m just stubborn enough to want to get my way,” Allen said.
The Vikings sent their first-round pick and two third-round picks in 2008 to the Chiefs, then signed Allen to a six-year, $73 million deal that at the time was the largest in history for a defensive player. He earned every penny, too, without any salary reductions or early releases that often follow big-money contracts in a league that has little patience for declining production by players with large cap hits.
“With a contract like that and a trade like that comes a lot of pressure,” Allen said. “It’s not in my saddle to rest on my laurels. The most impressive thing was I was able to play it out. I think I represented myself well.”
Allen averaged more than 14 sacks per season over six years with the Vikings, including a career-best 22 sacks in 2011 that came within one-half of the record set by Michael Strahan and later matched by T.J. Watt.
Allen is officially 12th on the career sacks list, a statistic the NFL didn’t compile until 1982. Research by Pro Football Reference on all games played before then produced a comprehensive list that has Allen with the 16th-most sacks in history, after winding down his career with the Chicago Bears in 2014 and being traded to the Carolina Panthers the following season.
While he ditched his drinking problem and cleaned up off the field, Allen never lost his thrill-seeking lifestyle, once running with the bulls in Spain, and killing a wild boar in Texas with a knife. He was a joke-cracking, wide-smiling life of the locker room with the Vikings, where he forged lifelong friendships that transcended the bitter disappointment of losing in overtime to the New Orleans Saints in the NFC championship game after the 2009 season.
Picked up at the airport in Minneapolis after the trade by defensive line coach Karl Dunbar and the alpha males of the position group, Kevin Williams and Pat Williams, Allen quickly knew he was in the right place.
“I am as competitive as they come, and it was brought to another level walking into that room,” Allen said. “The minute I got into that car, Pat and Kevin started talking trash about how I couldn’t play the run.”
Allen formed the alpha center of those Vikings teams with the Williamses on one of the best defensive lines in the league. He frequently was at his best when the lights were on, including a 4 1/2-sack game on Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers when Brett Favre quarterbacked the Vikings to a 2009 victory in his first revenge matchup against the Packers.
The Vikings have a long history of dominant defensive linemen, with Alan Page, Carl Eller, Chris Doleman and John Randle all enshrined before Allen in Canton. The famed Purple People Eaters — Page, Eller, Jim Marshall and Gary Larsen — helped the Vikings reach four Super Bowls and set a high standard for their successor.
“You’re never going to race ’em, but I wanted people to talk about myself, Pat and Kevin,” Allen said. “We wanted to be the fiercest, nastiest front four you could be, and that was all to pay respect to the guys who did it before us.”
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COLLEGE FOOTBALL
AMERICAN CONFERENCE DESERVES FAIR SHOT AT COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF, COMMISSIONER SAYS
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Commissioner Tim Pernetti wants to be sure the newly rebranded American Conference isn’t left out of the College Football Playoff conversation.
His solution for that — a playoff that includes a large number of at-large teams in a format preferred by the Southeastern Conference but not the Big Ten.
Pernetti said Friday he believes his conference has teams capable of competing in the 12-team playoff — which could get expanded to 16 — and winning the national championship.
“We believe in a format without anything being guaranteed to any conference,” Pernetti said at the conference’s media days at the Charlotte Convention Center. “The five highest-ranked conference champions (regardless of conference) should continue to receive an automatic bid plus a significant number of at-large opportunities, giving anyone the opportunity to earn a spot. Winning on the field, a true merit-based system.”
The current format calls for the top five conference champions to receive automatic bids, which presumably means the Power Four conferences all get one and then another goes to a Group of Five league such as the American. Last season, that automatic bid went to Boise State of the Mountain West.
The American had Army and Tulane hanging on the fringes of the playoff conversation last season but they needed lots of things to happen that didn’t.
The SEC and Big Ten will decide what format comes after this season. If they can’t agree, they have both said there’s a chance they could just leave things as they are with 12 teams.
The Big Ten has won the last two national championships.
If the playoff expands to 16 teams, it favors giving four automatic bids to the SEC and Big Ten and awarding the ACC and Big 12 two bids apiece with one more to the next highest-ranked conference champ. The SEC favors five conference champions and 11 at-large bids, which would presumably favor the top conferences most seasons.
Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark doubled down on his preference to stay with only five automatic qualifiers if the CFP expands from 12 to 16 teams as many expect after this season, instead of each of the four power conferences being guaranteed multiple bids.
Pernetti was adamant his conference have an opportunity to earn it on the field.
He said giving away predetermined playoff spots to larger conferences would not send the right message to players around the country.
“Line up and play the game. Let’s see where the chips fall at the end of the year,” Pernetti said. “Let’s not send a terrible message to student athletes that for some, their opportunity is not as important as others. They have the same goal. These guys sitting in this room, they want to play for the national championship just like every student-athlete in America.”
Pernetti cautioned that the Bowl Championship Series fell apart under the weight of “confusion, favoritism and protecting certain programs over others.”
“Have we learned nothing from history?” Pernetti said.
PERNETTI ON MEMPHIS’ ATTEMPTED MOVE TO BIG 12: YOUR JOB IS TO DO WHAT’S BEST FOR THE SCHOOL
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — American Conference commissioner Tim Pernetti said he was aware of Memphis’ intentions to leave the conference for the Big 12 and praised the school for being ambitious, even though the Tigers’ bid to join the Power Four failed.
The Big 12 board reportedly rejected Memphis’ bid to join the league, according to Yahoo Sports.
That means Memphis will remain in the newly renamed American Conference — at least for now.
Pernetti said he was made aware of Memphis’ intentions by school president Bill Hardgrave and athletic director Ed Scott last August and has been in communication with them ever since.
“We’ve had very transparent conversations for a year about what’s happening and I understand Memphis’ ambition,” Pernetti said Friday at the conference’s media days at the Charlotte Conventions Center. “I think other schools have that ambition. I admire their ambition.”
Pernetti did not mention what other schools may have wanted to leave the conference.
Pernetti previously worked as an athletic director at Rutgers when that school made the move to the Big Ten.
“Your job is to do what you think is best for your school,” Pernetti said. “And I also give him credit for having the guts to go after it. Having said all that, the important thing to remember is this: We’re not surprised by it and we’re building strong resilient programs in the conference. So when these things happen, they’re not a surprise.”
Pernetti added that he’s “very encouraged” that the conference’s member schools have operated in a transparent manner.
Memphis released a statement earlier this week regarding reports of their attempts to switch conferences, saying, “The University of Memphis is aware of the recent conversations regarding our potential inclusion in the Big 12. While those discussions did not ultimately move in our favor, our University and Memphis Athletics are stronger than ever, and we look forward to continuing to strengthen our position nationally.”
Memphis has not won the American Conference football title since 2019, but finished 11-2 last season (6-2 in conference play) and 24th in the AP Top 25 rankings.
In terms of potentially expanding the American Conference, Pernetti said he is open to the idea but the school would have to be the right fit.
“If there’s an opportunity for the American that brings incremental value to the league,” Pernetti said. “Naturally it’s worth exploring, but expansion can’t just be about money, it’s got to be about alignment. You have to find the right partnership, so we’re very, very thoughtful about all of those conversations.”
But he added he won’t dilute this league financially for the sake of expansion.
“If there are opportunities out there for us to increase the value, to increase the profile, to bring more members in that line up with innovation, grit and service,” Pernetti said, “then naturally we’ll explore that.”
NOW AT UCLA, IAMALEAVA TRIES TO MOVE BEYOND THE DRAMA AND FOCUS ON FOOTBALL
LAS VEGAS (AP) — College football’s future wore a baby blue suit, a gold pin that said “UCLA” and a pair of diamond-encrusted hoop earrings.
He glided toward the mic, sat down, then prepared for the grilling about how much money he makes, why he left Tennessee, who betrayed who when he departed, and what it all means for the college football world that his story now defines.
Bottom line: If quarterback Nico Iamaleava handles the rest of the season as well as he did with his half hour of Q&A at Big Ten media days Thursday, chances are, UCLA will be good — maybe even very good — in 2025.
“I think, it’s just, keep my head down and be humble,” the 20-year-old lightning rod of a quarterback said. “And try not to let the outside noise affect you.”
If he succeeds at that, he will have more discipline than a great majority of college football fans, experts and journalists who have filled the internet and air waves with timelines and tick-tock analysis of a decision that shook the sport and seemed to say everything about the burgeoning power players wield in a world of name, image, likeness deals and a rapidly rotating transfer portal.
The thumbnail of the story is that Iamaleava was a successful quarterback who led Tennessee to the College Football Playoff last season, then abruptly picked up stakes to head closer to home and play for UCLA.
Money seemed to be the most obvious motive.
Reports circulated that he was looking for a raise — maybe a doubling to nearly $4 million a year — to come back to the Vols. Then, one day last spring, Iamaleava missed practice. Just as abruptly, he was gone.
Tennessee coach Josh Heupel handled it diplomatically.
“Today’s landscape of college football is different than it has been,” he said. “It’s unfortunate, the situation, and where we’re at with Nico.”
Before he’d even enrolled at Tennessee, Iamaleava was causing his share of turmoil. It was his NIL deal with the Vols that triggered an NCAA investigation and a lawsuit by the attorneys general of Tennessee and Virginia in January 2024.
The NCAA settled that lawsuit, and though there aren’t as many questions about who makes the payments to the players (the colleges can do it themselves now), recriminations that flowed when Iamaleava enrolled at Tennessee kept flowing after he made his move to UCLA.
Asked about what triggered his move and exactly when it happened, Iamaleava said it came around the time “false stuff about whether it was a financial thing or not” started coming out that made him “not feel comfortable in the position I was in.”
Then, in a revelation that not everyone appears quite ready to accept, he said moving closer to where he grew up, in Long Beach, California, about 30 miles from the UCLA campus, was the biggest piece of the puzzle.
“My driving factor to come back home was my family, and I hope every Tennessee fan understands that,” he said. “It was really one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make.”
He will not delve into finances, though most of the reporting has shown that Iamaleava will make about as much, or just barely more, with UCLA than he was making at Tennessee.
“All that stuff is for my business team and my agents to handle,” he said. “I just focus on football.”
Among the other questions consuming college football, and that Iamaleava’s saga reflects as well as anyone’s, is how a player who makes more money and generates more hype than anyone else in the locker room can possibly fit on a team that is still, at its core, filled with teenagers whose football lives will end in college.
UCLA’s second-year coach, DeShaun Foster, said he scouted that part when the prospect of Iamaleava coming to Westwood became real.
“He’s a team guy and a family guy,” Foster said. “It just felt good that we were getting the right kind of quarterback.”
From a pure talent standpoint, hardly anyone argues that. Iamaleava was considered one of the country’s top prospects coming out of high school. He threw for 2,616 yards and 19 TDs last year in leading the Vols to the playoffs.
But, as one of the theories about his departure goes, he and his family were less than thrilled about Tennessee’s ability to protect him.
None other than ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit dove into the mix when he said he’d heard Iamaleava’s dad had gone to Heupel in December and said “like, hey, listen, you’ve got to get better at offensive line, better at receiver.”
Speaking not so much about that specific story, but to the realities of football, Foster said he knows keeping things clean in the pocket for Iamaleava will be key to his success.
“If he stays upright, things are going to go the right way,” Foster said.
And if they do, there’s at least a chance Iamaleava could be a one-and-doner at UCLA. He is widely thought to have NFL talent if he improves his mechanics and accuracy — two areas that will be helped by better protection.
During his back-and-forth with reporters, the quarterback brushed aside questions about pro football.
He also said he pays no mind to the billion-dollar questions swirling around the college game every day — all revolving around money, freedom to transfer and other issues that have turned UCLA’s quarterback into a villian in some places, a hero in others, and a player to watch everyhwere.
“I love college football,” he said. “Everything that goes on with my name, that’s not going to change my love for the game. Obviously, everyone has to move on. I’m excited about what’s next for me. But I’m where my feet (are), and right now, I’m a UCLA football player and I’m excited to go to camp.”
MICHIGAN IN DISCUSSIONS TO KICK OFF 2026 FOOTBALL SEASON IN GERMANY
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan is having discussions about kicking off the 2026 football season against Western Michigan in Germany.
The school announced Friday on social media that it is seeking to play at Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt on Aug. 29, 2026.
It would be the first game the Wolverines would play outside of North America.
Athletic director Warde Manuel said in a statement this would be a “first-of-its-kind opportunity” for the Wolverines and their fans.
“The University of Michigan is one of the few worldwide brands in college athletics and the interest in playing an international game would be unique,” Manuel said. “This would be a great opportunity to teach ‘Go Blue’ to a new group of fans in Germany.”
Home to Eintracht Frankfurt of Bundesliga, the stadium features a retractable roof with a capacity of 55,000. Deutsche Bank Park has hosted five NFL games, including two regular-season games in 2023.
Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said they’re always looking for unique opportunities for their players, noting the program has been to Italy,France and South Africa over the past decade. The game would require a rescheduling of Michigan’s home opener that’s currently set for Sept. 5.
“This game would provide another chance to grow our international fanbase,” Moore said.
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BASEBALL NEWS
REPORT: METS ACQUIRE LHP GREGORY SOTO FROM ORIOLES
The New York Mets bolstered their bullpen by acquiring left-handed reliever Gregory Soto from the Baltimore Orioles, SNY reported on Friday.
The Orioles reportedly will receive a pair of minor-league prospects in right-handers Wellington Aracena and Cameron Foster in the deal.
Soto, 30, has made 45 relief appearances this season with the Orioles, going 0-2 with one save and a 3.96 ERA. He has 44 strikeouts in 36 1/3 innings.
An All-Star in 2021 and 2022 as a member of the Detroit Tigers, Soto owns a 14-31 record with 56 saves and a 4.24 ERA in 366 career appearances (seven starts) with the Tigers (2019-22), Philadelphia Phillies (2023-24) and Orioles.
Aracena, 20, is the No. 19 prospect in the Mets’ system, according to MLB Pipeline. He is 1-1 with a 2.38 ERA in 17 appearances (eight starts) with Single-A St. Lucie.
Foster, 26, is 5-2 with a 2.97 ERA in 21 appearances (one start) this season split between Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse.
YANKEES ACQUIRE THIRD BASEMAN RYAN MCMAHON FROM THE ROCKIES FOR PAIR OF PROSPECTS
DENVER (AP) — Third baseman Ryan McMahon was acquired by the Yankees from the Colorado Rockies on Friday for a pair of minor league pitchers in an effort by New York to stop its slide down the AL East standings.
New York sent Colorado a pair of 22-year-old pitchers in the low minors, right-hander Josh Grosz and left-hander Griffin Herring.
“A really good defender. Has had some ups and downs offensively this year,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “I know there’s real offensive potential in there.”
An All-Star a year ago, the 30-year-old McMahon was hitting .217 with 16 home runs and 35 RBIs for last-place Colorado. His 127 strikeouts entering Friday were second to the 137 of Detroit’s Riley Greene, but McMahon was hitting .300 with three homers and seven RBIs in six games following the All-Star break.
He is owed about $36.2 million from the remainder of a $70 million, six-year contract through 2027.
McMahon moved from a Rockies team that is a major league worst 26-76 to the Yankees, who had a seven-game AL East lead and 35-20 record through May 28 but began Friday 19-26 since then. They started the weekend 4 1/2 games behind Toronto.
“I was acquired at the deadline, so it’s something that I’m very sensitive to and try to be really understanding to,” Boone said. “Everyone’s different and you’re leaving a place maybe where you’ve been your entire career. So hopefully the environment is a great thing for him.”
New York moved All-Star infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. back to second base from third in early July and released two-time batting champion DJ LeMahieu, who was batting .266 with two homers, 12 RBIs and a .674 OPS.
Oswald Peraza, who got most of the starts at third, was 3 for 30 with no RBIs since taking over as the primary third baseman on Aug. 6.
McMahon had spent all nine of his seasons in the majors with the Rockies. He is a career .240 hitter with 140 home runs and 452 RBIs.
“He’s been a big part of what we’ve done for a while, so it’s sad to see him go,” Rockies interim manager Warren Schaeffer said. “He’s going to have a really good opportunity to get to the postseason, and I’m happy for him for that.”
McMahon is due $4,193,548 for the remaining portion of his $12 million salary this year and $16 million in each of the next two seasons. He projects to add $4.6 million to the Yankees’ luxury tax bill on a tax payroll that started the season third in the major leagues at just under $311 million.
Herring was 7-3 with a 1.71 ERA, 102 strikeouts and 36 walks over 89 1/3 innings innings for Hudson Valley and Tampa.
Grosz was 4-8 with a 4.14 ERA and 94 strikeouts and 35 walks in 87 innings at Hudson Valley.
MLB TRADE DEADLINE: EUGENIO SUÁREZ, MITCH KELLER, SETH LUGO AMONG PRIZED PLAYERS WHO COULD MOVE
PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Diamondbacks got the trade deadline party started on Thursday night when they dealt 2024 All-Star Josh Naylor to the Seattle Mariners for two pitching prospects.
That probably won’t be the last time the D-backs make news before the July 31 deadline.
Arizona has had a disappointing season with a 50-53 record and now appears to be one of the most active sellers on the MLB market, dangling third baseman Eugenio Suárez and starting pitchers Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly.
The potential buyers include teams like the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers, who are all trying to beef up their rosters in hopes of a deep playoff run.
The market is heating up quickly: The Yankees acquired third baseman Ryan McMahon from the Rockies on Friday while the Mets added left-handed reliever Gregory Soto from the Orioles.
The D-backs have been one of the most intriguing teams in baseball over the past few weeks because management has had to make a tough decision whether to buy or sell. Arizona had a 50-50 record after sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals following the All-Star break but were then swept by the Houston Astros.
Those three losses appeared to seal their fate as sellers — though Arizona general manager Mike Hazen said he’s still open to changing course.
“I want to see this team to continue to go out there and play,” Hazen said. “I haven’t decided what it’s going to look like, honestly. I’m open-minded to a number of different things. … Quite frankly, we’re listening to what people have to say and what people have to offer and we’re going to do what’s best for the long term for this organization.”
Naylor’s already gone and he’ll help a Seattle lineup that could use a little more punch. Suárez is having one of the best seasons of his career, slugging 36 homers over 101 games, and is arguably the best bat on the market.
Here’s a look at some of the top players who could be available as teams try to upgrade for the stretch run:
Eugenio Suárez, 3B, Arizona Diamondbacks
Suarez is just an average defensive third baseman these days, but that’s not why teams want to acquire him. He’s got the kind of bat that can carry a team for weeks at a time, major pop from the right side of the plate. He has 312 career homers, is well-liked in the locker room and has been productive in limited postseason at-bats with a .300 average.
Mitch Keller, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates
The 29-year-old Keller has been overshadowed in the Pirates’ rotation thanks to the emergence of young star Paul Skenes, but the right-hander has been a reliable starter for the past four seasons and was an All-Star in 2023. The one catch is it’ll take a sizable haul for the Pirates to make a deal: He’s under contract through 2028 as part of a relatively reasonable $77 million, five-year deal.
Seth Lugo, SP, Kansas City Royals
Lugo has thrived in Kanas City over the past three seasons, moving to the starting rotation from the bullpen and providing consistent results. The 2024 All-Star has a 7-5 record with a 2.95 ERA over 19 starts this year.
Zac Gallen, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks
Gallen is having the worst full season of his career with a 7-11 record and 5.58 ERA but could still be an attractive add for a team that needs a starter. The 29-year-old right-hander has been one of the top pitchers in the National League over the past five years, finishing in the top 10 of the Cy Young voting in 2020, 2022 and 2023. His stuff is still good and he’s had a handful of dominant starts this season.
Merrill Kelly, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks
The 36-year-old righty has quietly been one of the most consistent pitchers in baseball with a 9-5 record and 3.32 ERA. He was also excellent during the D-backs’ postseason run in 2023 with a 3-1 record, 2.25 ERA and 28 strikeouts over 24 innings. Kelly doesn’t have an overpowering fastball but has a five-pitch mix that has consistently delivered results.
Sandy Alcantara, SP, Miami Marlins
The 29-year-old Alcantara isn’t the same pitcher he was when he won the 2022 NL Cy Young Award, but the right-hander still has quite a bit of upside. He gave up just one unearned run over seven innings in a win against the Padres on Wednesday, which might help his value. His rotation partner Edward Cabrera — another right-hander — could also garner attention with a 3.48 ERA over 17 starts.
Ryan O’Hearn, 1B/DH, Baltimore Orioles
The 31-year-old is having a career year with a .281 average, .375 on-base percentage and 14 homers, helping him earn All-Star honors for the first time in his career. His left-handed bat would be useful in a contender’s lineup.
BRAVES REINSTATE 3B AUSTIN RILEY FROM INJURED LIST
The Atlanta Braves reinstated third baseman Austin Riley from the 10-day injured list on Friday.
The two-time All-Star landed on the IL on July 12 with a right abdominal strain.
Riley, 28, is batting .274 with 14 home runs and 48 RBIs in 93 games this season. He leads the team in hits (104) and is second in runs (51).
Riley is a career .272 hitter with 167 homers and 477 RBIs in 812 games since making his debut with the Braves in 2019. The 2015 first-round draft pick was an All-Star in 2022 and 2023.
The Braves optioned infielder Nacho Alvarez Jr. to Triple-A Gwinnett in a corresponding move.
Alvarez, 22, batted .200 (6-for-30) in eight games with one double and two runs.
RECORD CROWD EXPECTED AT BRISTOL FOR THE MLB SPEEDWAY CLASSIC BETWEEN THE BRAVES AND REDS
Workers still have some finishing touches to put on the field inside the racetrack at Bristol Motor Speedway, and officials are expecting a record crowd in a week to watch the Cincinnati Reds play the Atlanta Braves in the MLB Speedway Classic on Aug. 2.
“We can’t wait for next Saturday night … when that first pitch is thrown out and the stands are full,” Jerry Caldwell, Bristol’s president and general manager, said Friday. “We’ll be setting records, we’ll be having attendance records. We’ll announcing all those details later on, but we’ll be there, I know we will.”
The largest crowd ever to see a baseball game was 115,300 for a March 2008 exhibition between the Red Sox and Dodgers at Los Angeles Coliseum. Bristol packed in 156,990 for the Battle of Bristol college football game in 2016.
Officials showed off the work Friday with a baseball field now sitting on top of the infield inside the half-mile bullring where cars and a building once sat for NASCAR races.
Murray Cook, an MLB field and stadium consultant with BrightView, said he’s excited to be at this point in the process of building a ballpark. Final touches still remain for the clay along with all the padding and branding, which should be in place by Wednesday at the latest.
Crews also held a light check Thursday night to make sure the Musco lights meet MLB standards.
“We’ve had a blast building this,” Cook said.
Even though the Braves play the Reds in Cincinnati on Aug. 1, the day before the Bristol game, fans are being encouraged to settle in for the big party planned both outside and then inside the racetrack for game day.
Caldwell said fans should show up by noon on game day to enjoy the attractions outside the track, including music, a 110-foot Ferris wheel, a food truck row, pitching tunnels and batting cages and team mascots. Once fans head inside, Tim McGraw and Pitbull are scheduled to perform.
Demolition started in early June with heavy construction now in high gear to transform Bristol Motor Speedway into a ballpark for the first MLB game in Tennessee.
This game features grandstand seating for fans along both baselines. Both teams will be wearing NASCAR-inspired uniforms with details like flames on the brim of the Braves’ caps and a finish-line checkerboard for the Reds’ caps.
The MLB Speedway Classic also will be included in the “MLB The Show 25” video game after an update scheduled for Tuesday.
Caldwell said the project has been long in the works.
“We’re … thrilled to be able to welcome everyone to Bristol and partner with Major League Baseball, the state of Tennessee and so many others to be able to pull this off,” he said.
MLB ROUNDUP: A’S ROOKIE NICK KURTZ BELTS RECORD-TYING 4 HOMERS
Rookie Nick Kurtz tied major league records with four home runs and 19 total bases to pace the visiting Athletics to a 15-3 victory over the Houston Astros on Friday.
Kurtz, who was 6-for-6 in the game after going 3-for-5 with two doubles in the Athletics’ series-opening win on Thursday, extended his lead among all rookies in homers by clubbing his 20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd dingers en route to producing eight RBIs and six runs.
Kurtz also leads all rookies in RBIs (59) and extra-base hits (43), and recorded the 20th four-homer game in history, the first by a rookie. His last long ball, in the ninth, came with outfielder Cooper Hummel on the mound for Houston.
Shea Langeliers and Tyler Soderstrom also went deep for the A’s. Jeffrey Springs (9-7) allowed two runs on four hits over six innings. Astros rookie Ryan Gusto (6-4) was tagged for eight runs on eight hits in 3 1/3 innings.
Phillies 12, Yankees 5
Kyle Schwarber homered twice and J.T. Realmuto hit a tiebreaking three-run blast in the seventh inning as visiting Philadelphia pulled away to win in New York.
Schwarber hit his 35th and 36 home runs, belting a tying two-run shot off New York starter Will Warren in the fifth and a two-run drive off Ian Hamilton in the eighth for an 8-5 lead. His first hit was the 1,000th of his career. He has six home runs in seven games since the All-Star break.
Cody Bellinger and Austin Wells hit solo homers off Philadelphia starter Taijuan Walker in the first two innings. Walker allowed three runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings.
Dodgers 5, Red Sox 2
Teoscar Hernandez hit a two-run home run to help Los Angeles beat host Boston in the opener of a three-game series.
After Freddie Freeman singled to open the eighth inning, Hernandez homered against Boston reliever Jorge Alcala to extend the Dodgers’ lead to 5-2. Hernandez drove in three of Los Angeles’ five runs.
Emmet Sheehan (2-1) pitched the first five innings for Los Angeles, surrendering two runs on three hits. The Dodgers’ bullpen provided four scoreless innings, including a scoreless ninth from Ben Casparius for his first save.
Marlins 5, Brewers 1
Otto Lopez had three hits and two RBIs to help visiting Miami defeat Milwaukee. Kyle Stowers homered and scored twice for the Marlins, who have won five of seven coming out of the All-Star break.
Marlins starter Cal Quantrill allowed one run and three hits in five innings. Josh Simpson (2-0) pitched a scoreless sixth.
Brewers starter Freddy Peralta allowed one run and five hits in five-plus innings. He struck out nine and walked two. Reliever Aaron Ashby (1-1) allowed the first of four Miami runs in the seventh. Jackson Chourio extended his hitting streak to 18 games by homering for the Brewers, who had won 12 of 13.
Diamondbacks 1, Pirates 0 (11 innings)
Eugenio Suarez hit a sacrifice fly in the 11th inning and three Arizona pitchers combined on a one-hitter to lead the Diamondbacks past host Pittsburgh.
Diamondbacks starter Ryne Nelson threw six innings, permitting just Tommy Pham’s triple in the second inning. Anthony DeSclafani (1-1) followed with four sharp innings, and Kevin Ginkel pitched a perfect bottom of the 11th for his third save.
Pittsburgh reliever Braxton Ashcraft (2-1) pitched a 1-2-3 10th inning but ran into trouble in the 11th. With runners on first and third and one out, automatic runner Corbin Carroll came home on Suarez’s sac fly to right.
Rangers 8, Braves 3
Jonah Heim homered and Sam Haggerty had an RBI double and scored a run to back a solid start by Nathan Eovaldi as Texas stayed hot with a win over sputtering Atlanta in Arlington, Texas.
The Rangers won their fourth straight game and ninth in their past 11 outings while the Braves dropped their third consecutive contest. Eovaldi (8-2), returning after missing his last scheduled start because of a stiff back, gave up three hits in five scoreless innings.
Atlanta’s Joey Wentz (2-2), making his second start since 2023, allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits over 4 1/3 innings.
Cardinals 3, Padres 0
Miles Mikolas and four St. Louis relievers combined to shut out visiting San Diego, giving the Cardinals wins in each of the first two games of a four-game series.
Mikolas (6-7) scattered seven hits over five-plus innings. Steven Matz, Phil Maton, JoJo Romero and Ryan Helsley followed with one inning apiece. Helsley pitched around a single in the ninth to earn his 21st save.
Padres starter Nick Pivetta (10-3) allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits in 6 1/3 innings as San Diego lost its fourth straight game.
White Sox 12, Cubs 5
Chase Meidroth, Colson Montgomery, Austin Slater and Mike Tauchman homered and Adrian Houser pitched effectively into the seventh inning as the host White Sox routed the Cubs to open a three-game series between the Chicago neighbors.
Winners of six of seven since the All-Star break, the White Sox collected 18 hits, including seven for extra bases. Each starter had at least one hit while all but one had an RBI in the opener of a three-game series.
Cubs starter Shota Imanaga (7-4) matched the shortest outing of his major league career, surrendering seven runs and 12 hits in three-plus innings. Houser (6-2) allowed three runs on five hits in 6 2/3 innings.
Twins 1, Nationals 0
Zebby Matthews pitched six scoreless innings, Byron Buxton drove in the game’s lone run, and Minnesota held on to edge Washington in Minneapolis.
Royce Lewis ripped a double for the only extra-base hit for the Twins, who won the series opener despite tallying only three hits. Buxton hit a fifth-inning sacrifice fly to produce the only run. Daylen Lile went 2-for-3 with a double and a stolen base to lead Washington.
Matthews (2-2) limited the Nationals to two hits, walked none and struck out seven. Nationals left-hander MacKenzie Gore (4-10) gave up one run on one hit in five innings, but he struggled with command as he issued six walks and struck out four.
Rockies 6, Orioles 5
Ezequiel Tovar hit a tiebreaking eighth-inning home run as Colorado rallied from an early four-run deficit to defeat host Baltimore.
Mickey Moniak and Thairo Estrada also homered, while Hunter Goodman and Jordan Beck each had two hits for the Rockies, who have a rare three-game winning streak.
Jordan Westburg, Tyler O’Neill, Coby Mayo and Alex Jackson all hit solo home runs for the Orioles, who dropped to 2-6 since the All-Star break. Baltimore reliever Andrew Kittredge (1-2) took the loss while Colorado’s Jake Bird (4-1) got the win after surrendering the tying run in the seventh.
Blue Jays 6, Tigers 2
Bo Bichette had a two-run double during a four-run fifth as Toronto downed slumping Detroit.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. supplied two doubles, two runs and an RBI for the Blue Jays, who have won seven of eight games since the All-Star break. Blue Jays starter Jose Berrios (7-4) gave up two runs and five hits in six innings.
Spencer Torkelson homered for the second time in as many days for the Tigers, who have lost five straight and 11 of their last 12. Detroit starter Keider Montero (4-3) was charged with six runs (five earned) and nine hits in four-plus innings.
Mets 8, Giants 1
Brandon Nimmo and Juan Soto drove in two runs apiece, Francisco Lindor homered among three hits and scored three times, and New York opened a three-game series at San Francisco with a win.
Clay Holmes (9-5) gave up one run on six hits in five innings as the Mets won their fifth game in a row. Huascar Brazoban, Rico Garcia and Jose Castillo combined for four scoreless innings of relief.
Heliot Ramos and Jung Hoo Lee had a pair of hits each for the Giants, who have lost seven of nine. Logan Webb (9-8) yielded six runs on eight hits in four innings.
Angels 3, Mariners 2 (10 innings)
Zach Neto singled to drive in LaMonte Wade Jr. from second base with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning, giving Los Angeles a walk-off victory over Seattle in Anaheim, Calif.
Neto produced the first walk-off hit of his career on his bobblehead giveaway night. He bounced a grounder on 1-0 sweeper by Mariners reliever Casey Legumina (4-5) just past the outstretched glove of diving Seattle second baseman Cole Young into shallow right field to drive in the game-winner.
Julio Rodriguez hit two home runs for Seattle. He became the third player in Mariners’ history to have five or more multi-homer games before turning 25, joining Ken Griffey Jr. (14) and Alex Rodriguez (14).
Reds 7, Rays 2
Tyler Stephenson went 2-for-5 with three RBIs and Cincinnati collected 14 hits en route to a win over visiting Tampa Bay.
Nick Martinez (9-9) permitted two runs on four over five innings for the Reds, who have won two in a row after a three-game losing streak. Elly De La Cruz went 4-for-5, and Austin Hays finished 3-for-5.
Zack Littell (8-8) gave up five runs on 10 hits in six innings as the Rays lost for the fourth time in five games.
ICHIRO SUZUKI LEADS INTRIGUING HALL OF FAME CLASS INTO COOPERSTOWN
Every Baseball Hall of Fame class is comprised of inductees whose path to baseball immortality was fascinating and challenging.
But the 2025 quintet of Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia, Billy Wagner, Dick Allen and Dave Parker may be among the most unique classes in the 89-year history of the Hall of Fame.
The five men will join the most exclusive club in sports Sunday afternoon when they are officially inducted into the Hall of Fame during ceremonies at the Clark Sports Center in bucolic Cooperstown, N.Y.
Suzuki and Sabathia were each elected in their first year of eligibility in voting conducted last December by the Baseball Writers Association of America, while Wagner made it on his 10th and final year on the ballot.
While the presence of Suzuki, the first Japan-born inductee, will lend an international flavor to the festivities, the posthumous enshrinement of Classic Baseball Era candidates Allen and Parker will add layers of poignancy to a day that’s already an emotional one for those on the stage and in the crowd.
Allen, who hit .292 with 351 homers and won the 1972 American League Most Valuable Player award with the Chicago White Sox, received 13 of 16 votes cast by the Classic Baseball Era committee on Dec. 8, 2024 — four years and one day after he died aged 78. Allen’s plaque will picture him wearing a Philadelphia Phillies hat.
Parker, who hit .290 with 339 homers and won two batting titles as well as the 1978 NL MVP with the Pittsburgh Pirates, garnered 14 votes on the same ballot. He died of Parkinson’s disease at 74 years old on June 28.
Parker, whose plaque will picture him wearing a Pirates hat, is the third Hall of Famer to die after being elected but before his induction.
“Spent a lot of time with ‘Sarge’ (former outfielder Gary Matthews) over the All-Star Break and he was talking about Dick Allen,” Sabathia said. “Dave Parker was one of my favorite players.
“Humbled and really sad that he’s not going to be there.”
Suzuki came within one vote of unanimous election after collecting 3,089 hits, 509 stolen bases, 10 Gold Gloves and two batting titles despite not debuting with the Seattle Mariners until he was 27 years old in 2001, when Suzuki won both the American League Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards. He also played for the New York Yankees and Miami Marlins but will enter the Hall in a Mariners hat.
Suzuki, who works out with the Mariners prior to home games and has a locker at T-Mobile Park, regularly visited the Hall of Fame as a player and plans to donate his personal collection of baseball artifacts to the museum.
“What an honor it is for me to be here as a Hall of Famer,” Suzuki said during his press conference in Cooperstown in January. “This is just a very special, special moment.”
Sabathia, who finished second behind Suzuki in the 2001 Rookie of the Year voting before winning the Cy Young Award in 2007, received 86.8 percent of the vote. He went 251-161 with 3,093 strikeouts over 3577 1/3 innings and 560 starts with Cleveland, Milwaukee and the Yankees. He will wear a Yankees hat on his plaque.
Only one active pitcher, Justin Verlander, has at least 250 wins, 3,000 strikeouts and 3,500 innings. But Sabathia said he still wasn’t sure about his first-ballot status even as his numbers grew more impressive with the continued diminishment of the starting pitcher during his five-year waiting period.
“Anybody that’s up for the Hall of Fame that tells you that they don’t check the Tracker is lying,” Sabathia said, referring to the real-time accounting of public ballots overseen by Ryan Thibodaux. “I was checking it, you know, every three minutes when it came down to the last week. You just don’t know.
“We knew (Suzuki) was going to be in and should have been unanimous. I was excited to be able to get in first ballot.”
Wagner recorded 422 saves with a 2.31 ERA and averaged 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings before becoming the eighth Hall of Famer to be elected in his final year of eligibility. He received 82.5 percent of the vote.
The hard-throwing left-hander will go in wearing the hat of the Houston Astros, with whom he spent the first nine seasons of his career before pitching for the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves.
“When you look back at who’s in there — I mean, when I walked through the Hall (the) first time, it was mind-boggling to just sit there and think (of) my name, being there with the greats of the great,” said Wagner, who is also the eighth pure closer in the Hall.
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WNBA NEWS
VALKYRIES, MINUS KAYLA THORNTON, RALLY PAST WINGS
Playing without leading scorer and rebounder Kayla Thornton, the Golden State Valkyries rallied in the second half to snap a three-game losing streak with an 86-76 win over the Dallas Wings on Friday in San Francisco.
Golden State (11-12) came into its first game since the All-Star break with the news Thornton would miss the remainder of the season, which was announced just hours before the Friday tipoff. Thornton must undergo knee surgery, ending her campaign with averages of 14.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.
Dallas (7-18) capitalized on the Valkyries being without their star early, running out to a 21-10 lead through the first quarter. However, led by Tiffany Hayes, whose 17 points paced five Golden State scorers in double figures, the Valkyries chipped away at the deficit until pulling ahead at the culmination of a 19-8 run in the third quarter.
Golden State never trailed in the fourth quarter, but Dallas stayed within striking distance throughout. Wings rookie Paige Bueckers came alive over the final 10 minutes, shooting 4-of-6 from the floor for nine points in the final period. She finished with a team-high 17 points.
Bueckers converted a successful and-one to get Dallas within 78-75 with 2:10 to go, but Golden State made eight of 10 free throws the rest of the way to hold on.
Neither team sank a basket in the game’s final two minutes. The Wings missed their final four field-goal attempts.
Temi Fagbenele finished with 11 points and eight rebounds for the Valkyries. Janelle Salaun scored 16 points, Carla Leite came off the bench to score 14 points, and Cecilia Zandalasini added 10 points.
Arike Ogunbowale scored 16 points for Dallas, while Aziah James and Haley Jones added 13 and 10 points, respectively, off the Wings’ bench. Bueckers dished a game-high six assists.
SABRINA IONESCU NETS 29 AS LIBERTY RALLY PAST MERCURY
Sabrina Ionescu scored a game-high 29 points — including 12 in the crucial third quarter — as the host New York Liberty rallied to defeat the Phoenix Mercury 89-76 on Friday night.
Ionescu also had a game-high-tying eight assists, and teammate Jonquel Jones added 20 points and a team-high 11 rebounds.
The Liberty won despite getting just six points from All-Star Breanna Stewart, who made 3-of-12 shots. However, Stewart posted eight rebounds, five assists, two blocks and two steals.
Phoenix, which had beaten New York both times the teams had met previously this season, blew a 12-point first-half lead.
The Liberty, the reigning WNBA champs, outscored the Mercury by eight points in the third quarter to take control of the game.
New York has won five straight games, the longest active streak in the league.
The Mercury, who have lost three straight games — their longest skid of the season — were led by Alyssa Thomas, who had 20 points, a game-high 13 rebounds and eight assists. Kahleah Copper added 14 points.
Mercury center Satou Sabally — who was named an All-Star starter this year but missed the game due to injury — scored just six points on 3-for-13 shooting.
Phoenix got off to an 8-0 lead, and it took New York 3:18 before it scored a point.
The Mercury stretched their lead to 11 points, but the Liberty closed the first quarter well, trailing 27-23 at the buzzer.
Midway through the second quarter, Ionescu scored five straight points, cutting New York’s deficit to 39-32 and forcing Phoenix to call timeout. New York kept coming, tying the score 42-42 on a Natasha Cloud bucket with 1:22 remaining.
By halftime, the score was tied at 46.
Thomas led all first-half scorers with 15 points, and she also had seven rebounds and five assists.
New York took its first lead of the game at 56-54 on a layup by Ionescu with 3:55 left in the third quarter. The hosts then scored the final seven points in the third, taking a 67-59 lead going into the fourth.
The Liberty cruised in that final period.
For the game, New York (21-of-22) outscored Phoenix (7-of-13) 21-7 at the foul line, and that was the difference in the scoring column.
LYNX REMAIN UNDEFEATED AT HOME WITH ROMP OF ACES
Napheesa Collier scored a game-high 25 points Friday night and the Minnesota Lynx improved to 14-0 at home with a 109-78 rout of the Las Vegas Aces.
Courtney Williams added 23 points and five assists for Minnesota (22-4), sinking 10 of 12 shots from the field. Bridget Carleton chipped in 14 points and Kayla McBride hit for 13 as the Lynx connected on 54.4 percent from the field, going 10 of 25 on 3-pointers. Jessica Shepard came off the bench for 10 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
A’ja Wilson scored 15 points for Las Vegas (12-13) and Jackie Young added 14 but the Aces didn’t have enough firepower to match up with Minnesota. Playing their second game in as many nights, they sank only 38 percent from the field and were dominated on the boards to the tune of 48-30.
Minnesota carried a 24-point lead into the fourth quarter and the only suspense left was when it would reach 100 points. That happened with 4:07 left on a putback by Shepard, marking the third time this year the Lynx topped the century mark. They finished with a season high in points.
Minnesota wasted little time taking control of the game. It made 7 of its last 10 shots in the first quarter, including a pair of 3-pointers from Carleton, to open up a 27-18 lead. Meanwhile, Las Vegas hit a cold spell, canning just 2 of its last 8 attempts in the period.
Young made a pair of foul shots at the 3:29 mark of the second quarter to pull the Aces within 39-32. But the Lynx gained permanent separation with a 12-3 run to end the half, opening up a 16-point advantage at intermission.
Minnesota put the game away in a marathon third quarter that saw it shoot a remarkable 23 foul shots. McBride made a pair at the line to put Minnesota ahead by 77-52 with three minutes left and the Lynx headed for the final 10 minutes with a comfortable 85-61 cushion.
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NHL NEWS
OTTAWA SIGNS FIRST-ROUND D RORY GUILDAY TO 3-YEAR DEAL
The Ottawa Charge signed 2025 first-round pick Rory Guilday to a three-year contract.
The deal announced Friday for the 22-year-old defender runs through the 2027-28 PWHL season.
Guilday tallied 52 points (19 goals, 33 assists) in 106 games during her four-year run at Cornell.
“We’re thrilled to get Rory into our lineup for the next three seasons,” general manager Mike Hirshfeld said. “We really like what she brings to the table. She’s a tall defender with a long reach, is tough and clears the front of the net, and plays exactly how we want to play.”
Guilday, a Minnesota native, was the No. 5 overall pick in the draft. She has earned three IIHF Women’s World Championship medals with Team USA: gold in 2023 and silver in 2022 and 2024.
HURRICANES F JACKSON BLAKE SIGNS 8-YEAR, $45M EXTENSION
Carolina Hurricanes forward Jackson Blake has signed an eight-year, $45 million contract extension with the team.
The deal, announced late Thursday night, will begin in the 2026-27 season.
Blake, who will turn 22 on Aug. 3, will play the final season of his entry-level deal in 2025-26. He could have become a restricted free agent after the upcoming season.
The son of former NHL forward Jason Blake made his NHL debut against the Columbus Blue Jackets on April 16, 2024. He followed his lone game of that season by recording 34 points (17 goals, 17 assists) in 80 games last season with Carolina.
“Jackson had an outstanding rookie season, and we think he is just scratching the surface of the player he can be,” Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky said in a news release. “His tenaciousness on the puck and competitiveness match our team’s culture, and we’re excited about his future with our club.”
Jackson Blake was selected by Carolina in the fourth round of the 2021 NHL Draft.
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NASCAR NEWS
DENNY HAMLIN SIGNS MULTIYEAR EXTENSION WITH JGR
Joe Gibbs Racing announced a multiyear contract extension Friday with veteran driver Denny Hamlin.
Hamlin, 44, has been behind the wheel of JGR’s No. 11 car for all 706 of his starts in the NASCAR Cup Series.
The company’s longest-tenured driver ranks 11th all-time with 58 Cup Series wins, including four this season.
“Joe (Gibbs, owner) and everyone at JGR are family to me and have done so much for me over the last 20 years, Hamlin said. “We’ve had a solid start to this season, and we have been able to welcome some great new partners this year, so there are a lot of exciting things happening with our team, not only now but also in the future.”
Hamlin currently ranks fourth in the Cup Series points standings following his victory at Dover last Sunday.
“I really appreciate Denny and everything he has meant to our organization,” Gibbs said. “It is just really special when you think about everything we’ve experienced over the past 20 years, from the first moment when J.D. (Gibbs) recognized his talent at a test session, until now. It is remarkable in any sport to compete at the level Denny has for this long, and we are thrilled he has been able to spend his entire career with us.”
His track record includes three wins at the Daytona 500, three in the Southern 500 and one at the Coca-Cola 600. He has qualified for the Cup Series Playoffs a record 18 times, advancing four times to the Championship 4.
DEFENDING CHAMP KYLE LARSON RETURNS TO BRICKYARD SEEKING TURNAROUND
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Kyle Larson raced to his third NASCAR Cup victory of the season at Kansas in mid-May then turned his attention to his second and perhaps final attempt at racing’s double — completing all 1,100 miles of the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.
Instead, he was hit with a double whammy.
A crash on Lap 92 knocked him out of the 500, relegating him to 24th, and two crashes — the second on Lap 245 — knocked him out in Charlotte, where he finished 37th.
Not much has gone right for Lason since then.
He posted just one top five finish over the next eight races before finishing fourth at Dover last weekend. Now, the defending Brickyard 400 champion is back at Indianapolis Motor Speedway trying to recharge his season.
“It’s great to be back here in Indy and back at the track, hopefully I’ll do a much better job than I did in May,” he said Friday. “It’s a privilege to get to run here and I would love nothing more than a good run and hopefully kind of put the bow on the double stuff.”
Only three drivers in race history own back-to-back Brickyard wins — Jimmie Johnson in 2008-09, Kyle Busch in 2015-16 and Kevin Harvick in 2019-20. Larson’s won last year on Indy’s historic 2.5-mile oval instead of the road course used the previous three years.
Most if not all drivers including Larson prefer running the oval.
“There’s so many people from all over the world here whether it be May or our events or, really for that matter, any events,” Justin Allgaier said. “… It’s just there’s nothing quite like it;”
Larson understands having driven an IndyCar on the oval each of the last two Mays and now back in a Cup car, his fourth start in 14 months at the Brickyard.
The difference this year: Larson wants to change directions after some sub-par results.
But they haven’t dashed his championship hopes.
The 2021 Cup champ is tied for second in wins this season, already has accrued 23 playoff points and trails only Hendrick Motorsports teammates Chase Elliott, the 2020 Cup champ, and William Byron in points. Neither Elliott or Byron has won the 400, though.
Neither has Denny Hamlin, who sits just behind Larson in points despite winning a series-best four times including last weekend at Dover. He also signed a two-year contract extension with Joe Gibbs Racing on Friday.
If he can add a win Sunday to the three he’s had in the Daytona 500 and Southern 500 and the one Coca-Cola 600 title, Hamlin would join the short list of drivers who have won all four Cup crown jewel races in their career.
“It certainly would mean a lot to me,” said Hamlin, who has started 16 Brickyards. “We’ve come close. We were actually as close on the road course as we were on ovals although I don’t know — you could argue whether that (road race) was actually a crown jewel or not. So, yeah, highly motivated.”
But things already are off script for Larson, Hamlin and everyone else in Indy.
Friday’s scheduled practice was rained out, making the second week in a row practice was washed out. Qualifying is scheduled for Saturday when temperatures are forecast to be in the mid to upper 80s with rain in the forecast most of the afternoon. The forecast for Sunday looks almost identical to Saturday.
That’s not what Larson wanted to hear even though race organizers rescheduled a short practice for Saturday afternoon.
“Hopefully, our car is good again,” he said before the scheduled practice. “I believe it should be fast, if not better than it was last year. So, you know, hopefully we’ll have a good practice, good qualifying (Saturday) and execute a good race on Sunday.”
Larson’s goal is simple — qualify up front, stay up front and stay out of the trouble he’s found far too routinely lately.
“When (Christopher Bell) spun (at Dover), I thought I was going to get collected and be like ‘Uh, oh, just continuing our bad luck here,” he said. “So, hopefully, this is the beginning of us to kind turn things around. We’ll see.”
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GOLF NEWS
THORBJORN OLESEN MOVES IN FRONT AT 3M OPEN
Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen overcame a double bogey and took over the lead at the 3M Open by posting a 5-under-par 66 Friday at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minn.
Olesen entered the weekend at 14-under 128, one shot above Jake Knapp (65 Friday) and two ahead of Pierceson Coody (65) and Sam Stevens (68).
Olesen was 1 over par six holes into his round after hitting his tee shot out of bounds at the par-4 15th and hitting a poor shot off his drop. He proceeded to birdie the next two holes to erase that blemish, then add four birdies on the front nine.
“There was two great shots there,” Olesen said. “On (No. 16), I hit it to I think 3 or 4 feet, and also on 17 I hit it really close. Yeah, I mean, my iron play has been great. I didn’t — I felt pretty comfortable even though I made a double still, so that’s a good thing.”
Olesen, 35, is a veteran with eight wins on the DP World Tour but none in the United States. He started the week No. 129 in the FedEx Cup standings but said he’s simply taking every week as it comes.
“Every week is an opportunity to try and bounce back and do something special,” Olesen said.
Knapp is bogey-free through 36 holes as he seeks his second PGA Tour win. He opened his round with three straight birdies at Nos. 10-12.
“Feel like I’m kind of doing everything pretty good for the most part,” Knapp said. “I haven’t made too many putts, but yeah, I feel like it’s been, you know, kind of mistake-free for the most part. I haven’t really had to scramble too much.”
Tied for fifth at 11 under were Japan’s Takumi Kanaya (bogey-free 64), German Matti Schmid (68) and Chris Kirk (67).
A collection of notable names at 10 under included Wyndham Clark (65), Chris Gotterup (69), Akshay Bhatia (66) and Joel Dahmen (65). Alex Noren of Sweden joined them there by posting the round of the day, a 9-under 62 with an eagle-birdie-birdie-bogey finish.
“Today I understand why I love golf so much,” Noren quipped. “It’s a fantastic sport because it is tough and then when you get it right, it’s lovely.”
Canadian Adam Svensson broke the course record Thursday with an 11-under 60 but turned the wrong way Friday, posting a 4-over 75 to drop back to 7 under.
Max Homa (8 under following a 68), Rickie Fowler (7 under; 70) and Sam Burns (7 under; 64) made the cut, which landed at 5 under par as Friday’s round finished.
Those who missed the weekend included China’s Haotong Li (4 under), who was in the final Sunday pairing with Scottie Scheffler at last week’s Open Championship; Sahith Theegala (2 under); and Tony Finau (4 over), a former 3M Open champion who made back-to-back double bogeys en route to a 77 Friday.
PADRAIG HARRINGTON RIDES HIS LUCK INTO SENIOR OPEN LEAD
Padraig Harrington shot a 5-under-par 65 to take a one-stroke lead over a hard-charging Thomas Bjorn halfway through the ISPS Handa Senior Open on Friday at Sunningdale in Berkshire, England.
Harrington climbed the leaderboard to 8-under 132, one over Denmark’s Bjorn and defending champion K.J. Choi of South Korea. Bjorn shot a sterling 7-under 63 to catapult into contention, and Choi posted a 67.
Harrington had five birdies, including at Sunningdale’s first and last holes, while keeping his scorecard clean of bogeys. The Irishman has already collected two senior major titles — the 2022 and 2025 U.S. Senior Opens — and now he’s starting to close in on his third.
“I rode my luck a lot today. Got my head in the game,” Harrington said. “Did a lot of good stuff mentally. Short game was sharp.”
To Harrington’s point, he said he had “three crazy things” distract him during his round — a falling acorn while he was playing a shot beneath a tree, a bug landing on him during a backstroke and a leaf falling in front of his ball.
“I wouldn’t want to play like that — well, I would like to score like that the next two days, but I wouldn’t think I’m going to get away with it,” Harrington said.
Bjorn only shot an even-par 70 in the first round but shot out of the gates Friday with four birdies in his first five holes. After another birdie at No. 9, he holed an eagle at the short par-4 11th.
“Hit a great drive and just clipped the overhanging tree and fell down,” Bjorn said of No. 11. “It was one of those where you just kind of go, well, thank you very much.”
Bjorn admitted he was “very angry” with himself over a ho-hum first round, which ended with a double bogey.
“Just got out here in that mode of I know I played well yesterday and I was hitting the ball well,” Bjorn said. “… Wanted to get off to a start and hit a great shot on 2 which it’s not like a given birdie, and then I hit some good shots from there.”
Choi could have been higher up the leaderboard if not for consecutive bogeys at Nos. 16-17 taking him down a few pegs.
“I’m still very nervous and very exciting,” Choi said. “Very good player stronger, more stronger every year. So my game is every day new game, new start, patience, pray a lot. So my heart is a little stable, right? Not up and down.”
Australian Cameron Percy (65), Justin Leonard (65), Ernie Els of South Africa (67) and Ricardo Gonzalez of Argentina (67) are tied for fourth at 6 under par.
First-round leader Steven Alker of New Zealand followed an opening 63 with a second-round 73 to drop back to 4 under.
BIRDIE RUN HAS ADRIAN MERONK TIED AT TOP OF LIV UK
Adrian Meronk of Poland used a run of five birdies in six holes to forge a three-way atop the leaderboard after the opening round at Hemel Hempstead, England.
Joaquin Niemann of Chile and Branden Grace of South Africa also share first place after all three leaders shot a 6-under par 65 at Centurion Club.
Bubba Watson was in a three-way tie for fourth place at 5 under along with Lee Westwood of England and Carlos Ortiz of Mexico. A group of four at 4 under and tied for seventh included England’s Paul Casey and Tyrrell Hatton, along with American Caleb Surratt and Australia’s Marc Leishman.
Meronk was a mere 1 under through seven holes after a bogey 5 at the sixth. He had consecutive birdies at Nos. 8 and 9 before a par 5 on No. 10 after the turn. He then rattled off three more birdies, including the last at the 639-yard, par-5 13th hole.
After winning the season-opening event at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in February, Meronk has his game back on track.
“It’s nice to be in this position again, obviously getting off to a good start this season,” Meronk said. “… Finally I’m enjoying myself on the course and playing good golf again, which is quite exciting. It’s great to be back in this position, and I’m really looking forward to this weekend and to three more tournaments this year.”
Niemann had four birdies on the front nine and finished off a bogey-free round with a par on the final five holes of the day. With three events remaining in the season after this week, all in the United States, Niemann sits atop the player standings.
“I think I’m on a really privileged situation to be on the top of the rankings and being chased by Jon (Rahm) and Bryson (DeChambeau),” said Niemann, who has won four times this season. “It just makes me a better athlete. I like that pressure. I like playing like that. I’ve just got to try my best.”
Grace was at 7 under on the day before a bogey at the par-4 15th hole. He finished his round with three consecutive pars.
Watson was set to join the leaders at 6 under until a bogey at the 244-yard, par-3 17th hole. He entered the week 31st in the overall standings and is in the “Open Zone” as relegation approaches, but well above the “Drop Zone” line.
“There’s a lot more stress, 100 percent,” Watson said. “… There’s a lot of having to step up and hit great golf shots because they know what’s on the line to be in an elite league like this. They want a contract. They want to be able to play here next year, so there’s a lot of stress out there for sure.”
Westwood is in 45th place in the overall standings and much improved after a strong showing in the LIV event at Virginia in June.
“Golf is the type of game where you feel like you’ve finally got it and it doesn’t give you the score that you think you should do, right? It never quite lets you,” Westwood said. “But then that final round (at Virginia), I shot 9-under I think, and that was kind of the trigger to give me some confidence that the good stuff I was working on on the range and on the putting green and on the short game area was paying off score-wise.”
LOTTIE WOAD LEADS NELLY KORDA BY 2 AT SCOTTISH OPEN
England’s Lottie Woad, competing in her first tournament as a pro, has a two-stroke lead over World No. 1 Nelly Korda at the midway point of the ISPS Women’s Scottish Open.
Woad, 21, carded a 7-under 65 on Friday to move to 12-under at Dundonald Links in Ayrshire, Scotland. She was the No. 1 amateur in the world before turning pro after a T3 finish at the Evian Championship two weeks ago.
Korda and Denmark’s Nanna Koerstz Madsen both shot 66 in the second round and are tied for second at 10-under. Sei Young Kim (67) is in solo fourth at 9-under and fellow South Korean Hyo Joo Kim (66) is another shot back in solo fifth.
Woad collected seven birdies during a clean round, including birdies at all four par-5 holes.
“Bogey-free is always nice,” Woad said. “Hit a lot of greens … a lot of fairways, and then holed a few nice putts.”
Woad’s remarkable month began with a six-shot victory at the Women’s Irish Open, which made her the first amateur to win on the Ladies European Tour since 2022. She finished 13-under at the Evian Championship the following week, one shot behind winner Grace Kim.
“I’m obviously just kind of trying to continue the momentum really,” Woad said. “Obviously trying to play well, and, yeah, just got confidence and keep on doing that.”
Woad played the first two rounds with Korda, whose round Friday featured seven birdies and one bogey at the par-5 18th hole.
Korda is still looking for her first win of the season, which includes a T2 at the U.S. Women’s Open, as players ramp up for next week’s AIG Women’s Open at Royal Porthcawl in Wales.
“I started out strong with two birdies on my first two holes, and then the wind kind of died down throughout the day, so capitalized on the weather,” Korda said. “Yeah, just hit it really well and I have only missed four greens through two days so happy with that. Hopefully I can continue trending in the right direction.”
Koerstz Madsen also had seven birdies and one bogey on Friday despite the weather conditions.
“It was chilly this morning,” she said. “A lot more wind today than yesterday. Yeah, a little bit more tricky.”
Defending champion Lauren Coughlin (70) is part of a seven-way tie for 12th at 4-under.
First-round leader Charlotte Laffar of England plummeted into a tie for 91st place and missed the cut after a 10-over 82 on Friday.
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TOP INDIANA HEADLINES/PRESS RELEASES
INDIANA FEVER
CAITLIN CLARK ROOKIE CARD SELLS FOR RECORD $660K
Even in an injury-plagued season, Caitlin Clark’s impact off the court remains large after her rookie trading card sold for $660,000 at a Fanatics Collect auction this week.
The card, which represents Clark’s 2024 season with the Indiana Fever, is a Panini WNBA Rookie Royalty card that includes an autograph and a swatch of her jersey. A separate 2024 Panini Prizm rookie card of Clark sold for $366,000 in March.
Clark, 23, has played in just 13 of the Fever’s 25 games this season because of leg injuries, while also missing Saturday’s WNBA All-Star Game. She has averaged 16.5 points and 8.8 assists this season, after scoring 19.2 points with 8.4 assists in 40 games as a rookie last season.
The 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year set a WNBA single-season record with 337 assists and established WNBA rookie marks with 769 points and 122 3-pointers.
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INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS
CHANDLER’S STRONG START LEADS INDIANS TO 3-2 WIN OVER TOLEDO
INDIANAPOLIS – Billy Cook’s RBI groundout paired with Ji Hwan Bae’s heads up baserunning in the third inning pushed the Indianapolis Indians to a 3-2 win over the Toledo Mud Hens on Thursday night at Victory Field. Indy improved to 21-7 in one-run games on the campaign.
Cook brought home the winning run for the Indians (17-7, 59-39) in the third frame when a potential double play ball was hit to third base. The Mud Hens (12-12, 51-48) recorded a force out at second base to retire Nick Solak, with Cook beating out the throw to first to keep the inning alive. Running from second base, Bae did not break stride on the play and took two bases to score for a 3-0 advantage.
Jared Triolo opened the scoring for Indianapolis in the second inning, launching his second home run of the season 413 feet to center field for a 1-0 lead.
The Indians then tacked on two runs in the third frame, with the rally starting on a walk by Ronny Simon. With Bae at the plate, Simon stole second and third base. On a successful steal of third, Mud Hens catcher Tomás Nido threw the ball away into left field, scoring Simon on the error. Bae walked, stole second base and subsequently scored on Cook’s groundout.
Toledo picked up a pair of runs in the sixth inning when Akil Baddoo got things started with a single and Hao-Yu Lee tripled him home to cut the deficit, 3-1. Jace Jung then hit a sacrifice fly to plate Lee for their second run of the inning.
Bubba Chandler (W, 5-3) led the charge for the Indy pitching staff as he tossed 5.2 innings of two-run ball with four hits, two walks and seven strikeouts. Three of his seven strikeouts were on fastballs that registered 98.0 mph or faster. Michael Darrell-Hicks, Burch Smith and Eddy Yean (S, 5) covered the remainder of the game, with Yean blanking the Mud Hens in the ninth inning to seal victory. Yean has not allowed a run in eight consecutive outings and 10.0 innings since June 27.
Mud Hens starter Jordan Balazovic (L, 3-1) allowed one run in 2.0 innings en route to his first loss of the season.
The Indians and Mud Hens continue their six-game series at Victory Field on Friday night at 7:05 PM. RHP Drake Fellows (7-2, 4.45) takes the mound for the Indians and Toledo is yet to name a starting pitcher.
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PURDUE FOOTBALL
BARRY ODOM AIMING TO RESURRECT PURDUE FOOTBALL THE SAME WAY HE MADE UNLV A WINNING PROGRAM
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Purdue coach Barry Odom isn’t concerned that the Boilermakers won just one game last season, or that they were in the 2022 Big Ten championship. He certainly isn’t bothered that they’ve been picked to finish last in the 18-team league this season.
“We’ll be defined by what we do,” Odom said Thursday, the last of three Big Ten media days. “If we take the approach from the day that we got the job, every single day our approach is you get up and make Purdue football better and you find a way to consistently instill those habits in everyone around in the organization. Then by the time that the season rolls around, we’ll be ready to be the best versions of ourselves.”
After turning around one of the worst programs in college football history, Odom spoke with vigor and confidence about resurrecting a Purdue program that went 5-19 the last two seasons.
Odom pulled off the unthinkable at UNLV two seasons ago, turning around a program that annually ranked near the bottom of college football in every aspect, and prior to his arrival, was a combined 29-74 the previous nine seasons.
In two seasons under Odom, the Rebels made it to the Mountain West championship twice and and were one win away from advancing to the College Football Playoff last season, when they won 11 games for the first time since 1984 and cracked the AP top 25 rankings for the first time in their 46-year history.
Now, he has his sights set on the Boilermakers, who ranked near the bottom of nearly every statistical category, including an offense that gained just 299.3 yards per game (127th nationally) and a defense that allowed 452.7 yards per contest (123rd).
After a 49-0 season-opening win against Indiana State, the Boilermakers lost their next 11 games — eight by double digits — including the season finale against in-state rival Indiana, 66-0.
With an uncertain depth chart entering camp, and a scarce number of returning starters across all three units, Odom’s message has at least one of the program’s leaders buying in.
“I mean, I feel like it’s sort of intrinsic … especially as big of a turnover that we had, you have a whole new room of guys and basically a new program,” fourth-year running back Devin Mockobee said. “Having that aspect of coming in and having a fresh start, it’s easy for everyone to get on board very fast and be able to build a culture very fast.”
If there’s anyone who can attest to Odom’s approach and wherewithal to improve a program, it’s defensive back Tony Grimes, who followed his coach from UNLV to West Lafayette, Indiana.
“Hard, smart and tough,” Grimes described Odom during spring practice. “How he practices, how he makes us work, his schedule, his routine got us built on … building calluses, meaning every day we’re gonna go hard until we can’t go no more.
“He took me in out of the portal when honestly no one really wanted me. He gave me that confidence that I needed back and now I am here what I am today.”
It’s the same confidence and will to get the best out of players that Odom is ready to instill while bringing life back to the Boilermakers.
“From the day that we got the job, every single day, our approach is you get up and you make Purdue football better,” Odom said. “You find a way to consistently instill those habits in everyone around the organization. Then by the time that the season rolls around, we’ll be ready to be the best versions of ourselves.”
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“SPORTS EXTRA”
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
July 26
1928 — Bob Meusel of the New York Yankees hit for the cycle for the third time in his career. The Yankees scored 11 runs in the top of the 12th to beat the Detroit Tigers 12-1 in 12 innings.
1939 — The New York Yankees tied a major league record by scoring in every inning against the St. Louis Browns. Bill Dickey hit three home runs in the 14-1 win.
1962 — Warren Spahn of the Milwaukee Braves set the National League record for home runs by a pitcher when he hit his 31st off New York’s Craig Anderson. Spahn dealt the Mets their 11th straight loss with a 6-1 victory.
1970 — Johnny Bench of the Cincinnati Reds hit three straight homers off Steve Carlton of the St. Louis Cardinals. On the same day, Orlando Cepeda of the Atlanta Braves connected for three consecutive homers in an 8-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs.
1984 — Pete Rose of the Montreal Expos tied Ty Cobb on the career singles list, No. 3,052, with a base hit in the eighth inning in a 5-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
1991 — Montreal’s Mark Gardner became the first to pitch nine no-hit innings against a Dodger home team since Johnny Vander Meer beat Brooklyn at Ebbets Field on June 15, 1938, for his second straight gem. But the Dodgers won in the 10th on two singles off Gardner and Darryl Strawberry’s RBI single off Jeff Fassero.
1998 — Trevor Hoffman’s bid to set a major league record with 42 straight saves ended when the San Diego closer gave up a home run to Moises Alou on his first delivery in the ninth inning, tying the game. The Padres wound up beating Houston 5-4 in the 10th, but Hoffman blew his chance at history.
2005 — Greg Maddux reached 3,000 career strikeouts, striking out Omar Vizquel in the third inning of a 3-2, 11-inning victory for San Francisco.
2008 — Skip Schumaker went 6-for-7 to help St. Louis beat the New York Mets 10-8 in 14 innings. He became the first Cardinals player to have six hits in a game since 1935 when Terry Moore did it against Boston.
2009 — Rickey Henderson, Jim Rice and Joe Gordon are inducted into the Hall of Fame in a ceremony in Cooperstown, NY. Gordon is the first player to be voted in by the Veterans Committee since its rules were reformulated following the controversial election of Bill Mazeroski in 2001.
2010 — Matt Garza pitched the first no-hitter in Tampa Bay Rays history and the fifth in the major leagues this season, beating the Detroit Tigers 5-0. Garza faced the minimum 27 batters, allowing only a second-inning walk.
2013 — Edwin Encarnacion hit two home runs in one inning, including his sixth career grand slam, to power the Toronto Blue Jays past the Houston Astros 12-6.
2014 — The Hall of Fame announces a change in voting rules, as players will now be able to stay on the BBWAA ballot for a maximum of 10 and not 15 years, as long as they meet the minimum 5% threshold. The move is designed to prevent the ballot from becoming overly crowded because of players tainted by steroids staying on the ballot for years on end with no realistic chance of election, but drawing votes away from more legitimate candidates. However, a number of inductees with an untainted record have had to wait over 10 years for election in recent years, such as Jim Rice, Bert Blyleven or Andre Dawson, making it likely that the rule change will have the effect of also squeezing out some worthy candidates.
2015 — Zack Greinke’s shutout streak ended at 45 2/3 innings when the Mets scored the first of two scratch runs against him. The streak was the longest in the majors since Orel Hershiser set the record with 59 for the Dodgers in 1988. New York beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 on Juan Uribe’s single off the wall in the 10th.
2015 — Four players, all elected by the BBWAA, are inducted into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY as the Class of 2015: pitchers Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz, all elected on their first presence on the ballot, and 2B Craig Biggio. Martinez steals the show by dancing on stage and entertaining the large contingent of visitors from the Dominican Republic who have come to witness his induction.
2017 — Dee Gordon homered on the first pitch by Yu Darvish, and Miami set a franchise scoring record with a 22-10 rout of the Texas Rangers.
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July 27
1918 — Brooklyn rookie Henry Heitman completed one of the shortest careers in major league history. Heitman appeared on the mound against the St. Louis Cardinals, gave up four consecutive hits and then left the game, never to play a major league game again.
1930 — Ken Ash of Cincinnati got his last major league victory by throwing one pitch. Ash came into relieve in the fifth inning and got Chicago’s Charlie Grimm to hit into a triple play. Ash was removed for a pinch hitter and the Reds beat the Cubs 6-5.
1946 — Rudy York of Boston hit two grand slams and drove in 10 runs as the Red Sox beat the St. Louis Browns 13-6.
1950 — Del Ennis of the Philadelphia Phillies drove in seven runs in the seventh and eighth innings of a 13-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Ennis doubled with the bases loaded in the seventh and hit a grand slam in the eighth.
1959 — New York lawyer William Shea announced the formation of the Continental League. New York, Houston, Toronto, Denver and Minneapolis-St. Paul were the five cities named and Branch Rickey was named league president.
1978 — Duane Kuiper of Cleveland tied a major league record by becoming the third player in the 20th century to hit two triples in a game. Both came with the bases loaded as the Indians beat the New York Yankees 17-5.
1984 — Montreal’s Pete Rose passed Ty Cobb for the most singles in a career with No. 3,053, against the Philadelphia Phillies.
1986 — Two 300-game winners faced each other , with Don Sutton going six strong innings to outpitch Tom Seaver and give the California Angels a 3-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox.
1996 — The San Diego Padres pounded the Florida Marlins 20-12. Wally Joyner led the way with five RBIs and John Flaherty hit a grand slam. The Padres were the sixth club to score 20 runs in a game this season. The last time that happened was 1929.
2008 — Oakland reliever Brad Ziegler recorded six outs to set a major league record with 27 scoreless innings to begin his career. Ziegler broke the previous mark of 25 innings set by Philadelphia Phillies right-hander George McQuillan in 1907.
2009 — Washington’s Josh Willingham became the 13th player to hit two grand slams in a game, doing so in the Nationals’ 14-6 win at Milwaukee. Willingham’s eight RBIs were the most in Nationals history and tied the franchise mark.
2011 — Major League Baseball acknowledged umpire Jerry Meals made the wrong call in Atlanta’s 4-3, 19th-inning win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates filed a complaint hours after the longest game in team history.
2011 — Ervin Santana pitched the first solo no-hitter for the Angels in nearly 27 years, striking out 10 and leading Los Angeles over Cleveland 3-1. Santana allowed two runners — an error on the leadoff batter that resulted in a first-inning run and a walk in the eighth.
2011 — The Tampa Bay Rays broke one of baseball’s oldest records when they played their 705th consecutive game with a starting pitcher younger than 30 years old. The Rays lost to Oakland 13-4.
2013 — Tampa Bay Rays rookie Chris Archer helped American League teams pitch a trio of 1-0 games, the first time that’s happened on the same day in nearly a half-century. The last time three AL games ended 1-0 on the same day was Sept. 4, 1965. Archer and Tampa Bay edged New York at Yankee Stadium, Justin Masterson and the Cleveland bullpen blanked Texas and Wade Davis and Royals relievers shut out the Chicago White Sox by the same 1-0 score.
2014 — A huge crowd estimated at 48,000 is on hand for the annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Cooperstown, NY. This year’s class is unusually large and prestigious, featuring three players elected on the first ballot: 300-game winnersGreg Maddux and Tom Glavine and slugger Frank Thomas, a member of the 500 home run club. Joining them are three managers who stand at #3, 4 and 5 on the all-time win list in Tony LaRussa, Bobby Cox and Joe Torre. Maddux, Glavine and Cox all found their greatest success in the great Atlanta Braves teams of the late 1990s.
2015 — Alex Rodriguez became the fourth player in major league history to homer as a teen and in his 40s, marking his birthday by lining an opposite-field shot to right against his former team to help the New York Yankees beat the Texas Rangers 6-2. Ty Cobb, Rusty Staub and Gary Sheffield are the only other players to achieve the feat.
2017 — The Nationals tied a franchise record with eight home runs, including two apiece by Bryce Harper and Ryan Zimmerman, in a 15-2 rout of the Milwaukee Brewers. Washington matched two major league records in a seven-run third inning: Most consecutive home runs (four) and most home runs in an inning (five).
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July 28
1931 — Bob Fothergill of Chicago hit a home run and a triple in an 11-run eighth inning. The White Sox set an American League record with 12 hits in the inning and beat the New York Yankees 14-12.
1940 — King Kong Keller hit three homers to give the New York Yankees a 10-9 win over Chicago in the first game of a doubleheader split.
1951 — Clyde Vollmer of Boston hit a grand slam in the 16th inning, the latest ever hit in a major league game. The Red Sox beat the Cleveland Indians 8-4.
1971 — Sixteen-time Gold Glove winner Brooks Robinson committed three errors in the sixth inning against the Oakland A’s. Frank Robinson’s three-run homer in the ninth won the game for the Orioles.
1976 — John Odom (five innings) and Francisco Barrios (four innings) combined on a no-hitter, and the Chicago White Sox defeated Oakland 2-1.
1983 — AL President Lee McPhail ruled that George Brett’s “pine tar” home run against New York on July 24 should count. The umpires had disallowed the homer because the pine tar on Brett’s bat exceeded the 18-inch limit. The rest of the game was played Aug. 18 with the Kansas City Royals beating the Yankees, 5-4.
1989 — Atlanta’s Dale Murphy tied two major league records by hitting two homers and driving in six runs in the sixth inning in the Braves’ 10-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants. Murphy’s two home runs equaled the record shared by 13 others and the six runs batted in matched a record shared by nine players.
1990 — Shawon Dunston tied a major league record with three triples and led the Chicago Cubs to a 10-7 win over the Montreal Expos.
1990 — Cal Ripken’s errorless streak ends at 95 consecutive games, as Baltimore loses to Kansas City, 10 – 9. The streak is a new major-league record for a shortstop, eclipsing Kevin Elster’s 89-game mark.
1991 — Dennis Martinez pitched a perfect game for the Montreal Expos, who topped Los Angeles 2-0 at Dodger Stadium.
1993 — Ken Griffey Jr. tied a major league record by homering in his eighth consecutive game, but it wasn’t enough for the Seattle Mariners in a 5-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins.
1994 — On the night the baseball players set an Aug. 12 strike date, Kenny Rogers of the Texas Rangers pitched a perfect game for a 4-0 victory over California.
2004 — Troy Percival recorded his 300th save after John Lackey allowed three hits over 8 1-3 innings to help Anaheim beat Texas 2-0.
2006 — Houston rookie Luke Scott hit for the cycle and drove in five runs, but the Astros lost to Arizona 8-7.
2018 — Rookie Francisco Arcia had a homer and six RBIs, giving him a major league-record 10 RBIs in two career games, and Los Angeles Angels rolled past Seattle 11-5.
2021 — In the first Olympic baseball game in thirteen years, Japan rallies to defeat the Dominican Republic 4-3.
July 29
1908 — Rube Waddell struck out 16, sending the St. Louis Browns past the Philadelphia A’s 5-4.
1911 — Joe Wood of the Boston Red Sox beat the St. Louis Browns with a 5-0 no-hitter in the first game of a doubleheader. Wood fanned 12 and allowed three baserunners on two walks and a hit batsman.
1915 — Honus Wagner, 41, became the oldest player to hit a grand slam as Pittsburgh beat Brooklyn 8-2. The grand slam was an inside-the-park homer. Wagner remained the record holder until 1985, when Tony Perez hit one the day before his 43rd birthday.
1928 — The Cleveland Indians scored eight runs in the first inning and nine more in the second and went on to beat the New York Yankees 24-6 at Dunn Field. Johnny Hodapp singled twice in the second and sixth innings.
1936 — The Brooklyn Dodgers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 22-7 in the first game of a doubleheader, then lost the second game 5-4.
1955 — Smoky Burgess of the Cincinnati Reds hit three home runs and drove in nine runs in a 16-5 rout of the Pittsburgh Pirates at Crosley Field.
1968 — George Culver of the Cincinnati Reds pitched a 6-1 no-hitter against the Phillies in the second game of a doubleheader at Philadelphia.
1983 — Steve Garvey of the San Diego Padres ended his NL record of 1,207 consecutive games. The streak ended when he dislocated his thumb in a collision with Atlanta pitcher Pascual Perez while trying to score.
2000 — Eddie Taubensee hit a game-tying homer with two outs in the ninth and homered again in the 11th to lead Cincinnati to a 4-3 win over Montreal.
2001 — Craig Monroe homered in his first major league at-bat, and the Texas Rangers beat Tampa Bay 2-0.
2003 — Boston’s Bill Mueller became the first player in major league history to hit grand slams from both sides of the plate in a game and connected for three homers in a 14-7 win at Texas.
2006 — Tomas Perez tied a major league record with four doubles, going 5-for-5 and leading the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to a 19-6 rout of the New York Yankees.
2010 — Anibal Sanchez pitched a one-hitter, leading the Florida Marlins past the San Francisco Giants 5-0. Sanchez retired his first 13 batters and matched a career high with eight strikeouts.
2018 — The Hall of Fame inducts one of the largest classes in its history. Honored are Vladimir Guerrero, Trevor Hoffman, Chipper Jones, Jack Morris, Jim Thome and Alan Trammell.
2022 — Aaron Judge hits two more homers in leading the Yankees to an 11 – 5 win over the Royals. He now has 41 on the season, tying the American League record for most before the end of July held by Hall of FamersBabe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx and Ken Griffey Jr. Judge will set a new record with another homer tomorrow.
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July 30
1917 — Ty Cobb, Bobby Veach and Ossie Vitt, each went 5-for-5 in Detroit’s 16-4 romp over Washington.
1933 — Dizzy Dean struck out 17 Cubs for the St. Louis Cardinals, who beat Chicago 8-2.
1947 — The New York Giants defeated Ewell Blackwell and the Cincinnati Reds 5-4 in 10 innings, ending Blackwell’s 16-game winning streak.
1959 — Willie McCovey had four hits in four at-bats in his major league debut, with the San Francisco Giants. His hits included two triples in a 7-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.
1962 — The American League, led by homers from Leon Wagner, Pete Runnels and Rocky Colavito, powered past the National League 9-4, in the second All-Star Game of the year. Wagner of the Angels was named MVP.
1968 — Washington shortstop Ron Hansen pulled off an unassisted triple play, but the Cleveland Indians still won the game 10-1.
1969 — Houston, behind grand slams by Denis Menke and Jim Wynn, scored 11 runs in the ninth inning to pound the New York Mets 16-3 in a doubleheader opener at Shea Stadium. Mets pitchers Cal Koonce and Ron Taylor gave up the slams, marking the first time this century that two grand slams were hit in the same inning of a National League game.
1973 — Jim Bibby of the Texas Rangers pitched a 6-0 no-hitter against the Oakland A’s.
1980 — Houston Astros pitcher J.R. Richard had a stroke during a workout at the Astrodome and underwent surgery to remove a blood clot behind his right collarbone.
1982 — The Atlanta Braves returned Chief Noc-A-Homa and his teepee to left field after losing 19 of 21 games and blowing a 10½-game lead. The teepee was removed for more seats. The team recovered to regain first place.
1988 — John Franco of the Cincinnati Reds set a major league record with 13 saves in one month. Franco was tied with Sparky Lyle, Bruce Sutter and Bob Stanley.
1990 — George Steinbrenner was forced to resign as general partner of the New York Yankees by Commissioner Fay Vincent.
2008 — Kelly Shoppach of Cleveland tied a major league record with five extra-base hits, including a game-tying homer in the ninth, but Detroit beat the Indians 14-12 in 13 innings. Shoppach had two homers and three doubles.
2009 — A story in the New York Times states that sluggers David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez are among the 104 major leaguers who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003. The test results were supposed to be kept secret, but Alex Rodriguez’s presence on the list of those who tested positive had already been leaked earlier this year. Ortiz states that he was not aware he had tested positive six years earlier and denies using steroids.
2011 — The New York Yankees broke loose for 12 runs in the first inning of the nightcap of a day-night doubleheader, setting a franchise record en route to a 17-3 rout of Baltimore.
2012 — Kendrys Morales homered from both sides of the plate during a nine-run sixth inning, capping the burst with a grand slam that sent the Los Angeles Angels romping past the Texas Rangers 15-8. Morales became the third switch-hitter in major league history to homer as a lefty and righty in the same inning. Carlos Baerga did it for Cleveland in 1993 and Mark Bellhorn of the Chicago Cubs duplicated the feat in 2002.
2017 — Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines and Ivan Rodriguez are inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
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July 31
1930 — Lou Gehrig drove in eight runs with a grand slam and two doubles, and the New York Yankees outlasted the Boston Red Sox 14-13.
1932 — Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium opened and Lefty Grove and the Philadelphia A’s beat the Indians 1-0 before 76,979 fans.
1934 — The St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Cincinnati Reds 8-6 in 18 innings at Cincinnati as Dizzy Dean and Tony Freitas both went the distance.
1954 — Joe Adcock hit four home runs and a double to lead the Milwaukee Braves to a 15-7 victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field. Adcock’s 18 total bases set a major league record at the time. Adcock homered in the second inning off Don Newcombe, doubled in the third and homered in the fifth off Erv Palica. He connected off Pete Wojey in the seventh and off Johnny Podres in the ninth. Adcock saw only seven pitches and his double off the left-center field fence just missed going out by inches.
1961 — The All-Star Game ended in a 1-1 tie at Fenway Park because of heavy rain.
1981 — The second baseball strike ended after 42 days.
1990 — Nolan Ryan, 43, won his 300th game, reaching the milestone in his second try, as the Texas Rangers beat the Milwaukee Brewers 11-3.
2002 — Mike Mussina became the second pitcher in major league history to give up six doubles in one inning, during the New York Yankees’ 17-6 loss to Texas. Hall of Famer Lefty Grove allowed that many with Boston in 1934 against Washington.
2003 — John Smoltz broke his own record as the fastest pitcher to record 40 saves by pitching a scoreless ninth in Atlanta’s 7-4 win over Houston. Last year, he got his 40th save on Aug. 8, en route to breaking the NL record with 55.
2007 — The New York Yankees tied a franchise record by hitting eight home runs, including two by Hideki Matsui, in a 16-3 rout of the Chicago White Sox. New York last hit eight homers in a game in a doubleheader opener at the Philadelphia Athletics on June 28, 1939.
2010 — Carlos Gonzalez hit a game-ending home run to complete the cycle, and Colorado rallied to a 6-5 win after blowing a three-run lead in the eighth inning to the Chicago Cubs.
2011 — Ricky Nolasco scattered 12 hits, Emilio Bonifacio homered and Florida handed the Atlanta Braves the 10,000th loss in franchise history. With the 3-1 loss, the Braves become the second big league team with 10,000 losses. The Phillies reached that mark in 2007.
2015 — New York’s Mark Teixeira homered from both sides of the plate for the record 14th time, hitting his 10th grand slam and a two-run homer that led the Yankees past the Chicago White Sox 13-6.
2021 — Seby Zavala becomes the first player in MLB history to record his first three home runs in the same game.
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TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
July 26
1859 — The first intercollegiate Regatta is held in Worcester, Mass., with Harvard beating Yale and Brown.
1928 — Gene Tunney beats Tom Heeney on a technical knockout in the 11th round at Yankee Stadium to retain the world heavyweight title.
1952 — Bob Mathias wins his second Olympic decathlon in Helsinki, Finland.
1955 — Doug Ford defeats Cary Middlecoff 4 and 3 in the final round to capture the PGA title.
1981 — Pat Bradley shoots a record 279 total to win the U.S. Women’s Open. Kathy Whitworth, who finishes third, becomes the first million-dollar golfer in LPGA history.
1987 — Stephen Roche of Ireland wins the Tour de France by 40 seconds over Spain’s Pedro Delgado. Jeannie Longo of France wins the women’s race, finishing 2:52 ahead of Italy’s Maria Canins.
1992 — Miguel Indurain of Spain, the holder of the yellow jersey as overall leader for the final nine days, rides in the pack to clinch his second straight victory in the Tour de France.
1996 — American swimmer Amy Van Dyken wins the 50-meter freestyle to become Atlanta’s first quadruple gold medalist and the first U.S. woman to win four in a single Olympics.
1998 — Three spectators are killed — the first fan deaths at a major race in the United States in more than a decade — and six are injured by flying debris from a one-car crash at the U.S. 500 at Michigan Speedway.
2005 — Greg Maddux records his 3,000th career strikeout against San Francisco, striking out Omar Vizquel in the third inning of a 3-2, 11-inning victory for the Giants.
2009 — Alberto Contador wins the Tour de France for a second time. Andy Schleck of Luxembourg, Contador’s biggest rival among title contenders in the mountains, finishes second.
2013 — He Chong wins his record-tying third consecutive world title in the men’s 3-meter springboard at Barcelona, Spain, giving China its seventh gold medal in eight diving events. His victories in 2009, 2011, and 2013, matches Phillip Boggs’ record of three titles from 1973-78.
2015 — Christina Jones and Bill May of the U.S. win the first gold medal in new mixed duet technical synchronized swimming at the world championships in Kazan, Russia. The mixed duet is new to the world championships.
2015 — Kyle Busch’s incredible comeback continues with a weekend sweep at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He wins the Brickyard 400 a day after winning the second-tier Xfinity Series race. Busch, who missed the first 11 races of the season with a broken right leg and broken left foot, wins the fourth of the last five Sprint Cup Series races, including three straight.
2020 — Italian soccer team Juventus wins its 9th straight Serie A title in a 2-0 victory over Sampdoria.
2021 — Hidilyn Diaz becomes the first athlete from the Philippines to win an Olympic gold medal in the 55kg class of weightlifting at the Tokyo Games.
2024 — XXXIII Summer Olympic Games officially open in Paris.
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July 27
1920 — Resolute defeats Shamrock IV of Britain to defend the America’s Cup title for the United States.
1937 — The United States wins the Davis Cup by beating Britain four matches to one.
1954 — Chick Harbart beats Walter Burkemo 4 and 3 in the final round to win the PGA championship.
1969 — Betsy Rawls wins the LPGA championship by four strokes over Sue Berning and Carol Mann.
1973 — The Miami Dolphins beat the College All-Stars 14-3 in Chicago.
1986 — Greg Lemond becomes the first American to win the Tour de France. LeMond’s teammate, Bernard Hinault of France, finishes second.
1986 — Pat Bradley sinks a 12-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to defeat hard-charging Japanese veteran Ayako Okamoto in the LPGA-du Maurier tournament. Bradley birdied five of the first six holes and finishes at 6-under 66 for a 72-hole total of 276.
1986 — Speedskater Bonnie Blair sets a U.S. Olympic Festival record for total medals won with 16 and total golds with 10 by taking two titles.
1986 — Bobby Hillin Jr. becomes the youngest winner in the history of NASCAR stock car racing, surviving the Talladega 500 at Alabama International Motor Speedway. Hillin, 22, takes the lead from Tim Richmond eight laps from the end of the 188-lap event.
1987 — The Salt Lake Trappers, an independent team in the Pioneer League, have their record 29-game winning streak snapped with a 7-5 loss to Billings.
1992 — Patty Sheehan shoots a 1-over 72 for a two-stroke victory over Juli Inkster in their 18-hole playoff in the U.S. Women’s Open.
1993 — Reggie Lewis, the 27-year-old Boston Celtics star who collapsed during a playoff game on April 29 from a heart ailment, dies after a light workout at the team’s practice facility at Brandeis University.
1996 — Canada’s Donovan Bailey sets the world record to win the 100 meters in 9.84 seconds at the Summer Olympics. The Atlanta Games are later marred by the Centennial Olympic Park bombing that kills Alice Hawthorne, wounds 111 others.
1999 — Tony Hawk is the first skateboarder to land a “900”.
2002 — John Ruiz retains the WBA heavyweight title he won from Evander Holyfield, this time getting off the canvas three times — all after low blows — and lasting long enough for Kirk Johnson to be disqualified.
2005 — Grant Hackett bumps off one of swimmimg’s most enduring world records, eclipsing Ian Thorpe’s mark in the 800-meter freestyle. The 6-foot-6 Hackett claims his second gold and third medal of the World Swimming Championships with a time of 7:38.65, breaking the mark set four years earlier by his countryman Thorpe.
2006 — Floyd Landis’ stunning Tour de France victory just four days earlier is thrown into question when he tests positive for high levels of testosterone during the race.
2008 — Carlos Sastre wins the Tour de France in one of the closest finishes in the 105-year-old race. The third Spaniard in a row to win cycling’s premier event, Sastre holds his 65-second lead over Cadel Evans of Australia. As in the last two years, this year’s Tour is plagued by doping.
2013 — Candace Parker scores a record 23 points to lead the West to a 102-98 win over the East and earn MVP honors in the WNBA All-Star game.
2013 — Hunter Mahan withdraws from the RBC Canadian Open after his wife went into labor. Mahan, the tournament leader at 13 under after 36 holes, had yet to tee off for the third round.
2014 — Italy’s Vincenzo Nibali wins the Tour de France, becoming the first Italian to win cycling’s greatest race in 16 years. Nibali is the sixth rider to win all three Grand Tours — France, Italy and Spain— and is the first Italian to win the Tour de France since Marco Pantani in 1998.
2014 — Martina Hingis leads Washington to its fourth straight World TeamTennis title and fifth in six years, beating Olga Govortsova 5-2 in singles in the Kastles’ 25-13 victory over the Springfield Lasers.
2015 — The Arizona Cardinals hire Jen Welter to coach inside linebackers through their upcoming training camp and preseason. The Cardinals say Welter is believed to be the first woman to hold a coaching position of any kind in the NFL.
2019 — Israel qualifies for their first European Baseball Championship.
2021 — Four-time Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles withdraws from the women’s team final at the Tokyo Games citing needs to focus on her mental health.
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July 28
1913 — The United States wins its first Davis Cup since 1902 by beating Britain three matches to two.
1928 — The Summer Olympics open in Amsterdam and the Olympic flame is lit for the first time.
1929 — The Chicago Cardinals become the first NFL team to train out of state, holding camp in Michigan.
1972 — The American Basketball Association announces that San Diego will receive a franchise and the NBA’s Buffalo Braves relocate to San Diego and are renamed the San Diego Clippers.
1972 — The Dallas Cowboys beat the College All-Stars in Chicago 20-7.
1984 — The Summer Olympics open in Los Angeles with a record 140 nations competing. The Soviet Union and 13 Communist allies, including Cuba and East Germany, boycott the games.
1987 — Laura Davies shoots a 1-under 71 to defeat Ayako Okamoto and JoAnne Carner in an 18-hole playoff to win the U.S. Women’s Open.
1987 — Angel Cordero Jr. becomes the fourth U.S. jockey to win 6,000 races when he rides Lost Kitty to victory at Monmouth Park, N.J.
1991 — Dennis Martinez pitches a perfect game for the Montreal Expos, who beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-0.
1992 — American Mike Barrowman sets a world record in winning the 200-meter breaststroke, and Russian Evgueni Sadovyi becomes the Summer Olympics’ first triple gold medalist, also smashing a world record in the men’s 400-meter freestyle.
1994 — On the night baseball players set an Aug. 12 strike date, Kenny Rogers of the Texas Rangers pitches a perfect game for a 4-0 victory over California.
2000 — Blaine Wilson, America’s pre-eminent gymnast, wins his fifth straight championship in St. Louis. He becomes the first gymnast to win five straight national titles since George Wheeler did it from 1937-41.
2009 — Germany’s Paul Biedermann hands Michael Phelps his first major individual loss in four years, setting a world record in the 200-meter freestyle at the world championships in Rome. Phelps, a body length behind, loses for the first time in a major international meet since Ian Crocker beat him in the 100 butterfly final at the 2005 worlds.
2011 — Ryan Lochte celebrates the first world record set since high-tech bodysuits were banned 1 1/2 years ago. Lochte edges Michael Phelps in 200-meter individual medley at the world championships at Shanghai.
2013 — Brek Shea scores less than a minute after entering the game as a second-half substitute, giving the United States a 1-0 victory over Panama in the Gold Cup final. It’s the fifth Gold Cup title for the Americans but their first since 2007.
2016 — Mirim Lee shoots a 10-under 62 to match the Women’s British Open record and take a three-stroke lead in the major championship at tree-lined Woburn (England) Golf Club.
2016 — Stephan Jaeger shoots a 12-under 58 in the Web.com Tour’s Ellie Mae Classic in Hayward, Calif., for the lowest score in major tour play. The German finishes with a 10-foot birdie putt.
2019 — 22-year-old Egan Bernal becomes the first Colombian and Latin American cyclist to win the Tour de France.
July 29
1751 — The first International World Title Prize Fight takes place in Harlston, England. The champion, Jack Slack of England, beats the challenger, M. Petit of France, in 25 minutes.
1934 — Paul Runyan beats Craig Wood on the 38th hole to win the PGA Championship at Park Country Club in Williamsville, N.Y.
1956 — Cathy Cornelius wins a playoff over Barbara McIntyre to win the U.S. Women’s Open.
1957 — At the Polo Grounds in New York, Floyd Patterson TKOs Tommy Jackson at 1:52 of the 10th round to retain the heavyweight title.
1960 — The first American Football League preseason game is played in Buffalo, N.Y. The Boston Patriots, led by quarterback Butch Songin, beat the Bills 28-7 before 16,474 fans at War Memorial Stadium .
1979 — Amy Alcott shoots a 7-under 285 to beat Nancy Lopez in the Peter Jackson Classic, later named The du Maurier Classic. The du Maurier is one of the LPGA Tour’s major championships from 1979-2000.
1986 — The U.S. Football League wins and loses in its lawsuit against the NFL. The jury finds the NFL violated antitrust laws, as the USFL claimed, but awards the USFL only $1 in damages.
1989 — Cuba’s Javier Sotomayor becomes the first person to high jump 8 feet, breaking his world record at the Caribbean Championship in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He surpasses his mark of 7-11½.
1990 — Beth Daniel shoots a 66 to overcome a 5-shot deficit and win the LPGA Championship — her first major title in 12 years on the tour. Daniel beats Rosie Jones by one stroke and pockets $150,000, the largest in LPGA Tour history.
1992 — The U.S. 400-meter freestyle relay team wins the gold medal, with Matt Biondi and Tom Jager becoming the first U.S. male swimmers to win golds in three Olympics.
1996 — Michael Johnson sweeps to victory in an Olympic 400-meter record 43.49 seconds, while Carl Lewis leaps into history in Atlanta. Lewis’ long jump of 27 feet, 10¾ inches earns him his ninth gold medal, equaling the American mark held by swimmer Mark Spitz.
2001 — Copa América Final, Estadio El Campín, Bogotá: Defender Iván Córdoba scores winner as home team Columbia edge Mexico, 1-0.
2008 — Disgraced ex-NBA official Tim Donaghy admits he brought shame on his profession as a federal judge sentenced him to 15 months behind bars for a gambling scandal.
2012 — Kimberly Rhode wins the Olympic gold medal in women’s skeet shooting, becoming the first American to take an individual-sport medal in five consecutive Olympics.
2012 — Dana Vollmer of the U.S. sets a world record to win the 100-meter butterfly at the London Olympics. Vollmer hits the wall in 55.98 seconds to shave 0.08 off the mark set by Sarah Sjostrom of Sweden at the 2009 world championships in Rome.
2015 — Russia’s Natalya Ishchenko wins a record 18th career synchronized swimming gold medal at the world championships at Kazan, Russia.
2021 — Sunisa Lee wins the women’s all-around gymnastics gold medal in Tokyo.
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July 30
1870 — Monmouth Park opens with a five-day meet.
1930 — Host Uruguay beats Argentina 4-2 for soccer’s first World Cup in Montevideo.
1932 — The 10th modern Olympic Games open in Los Angeles.
1961 — Jerry Barber edges Don January by one stroke in a playoff to win the PGA title at Olympia Fields in Illinois.
1966 — England beats West Germany 4-2 at London’s Wembley Stadium to capture soccer’s World Cup.
1968 — Washington’s Ron Hansen pulls off an unassisted triple play in a 10-1 loss to the Cleveland Indians.
1971 — In the NFL Chicago All-Star Game, the Baltimore Colts beat the All-Stars 24-17.
1976 — Bruce Jenner sets the world record in the Olympic decathlon with 8,618 points, breaking Nikolai Avilov’s mark by 164 points.
1980 — Houston pitcher J.R. Richard suffers a stroke during a workout at the Astrodome.
1984 — Michael Gross of West Germany sets a world record in the 200-meter freestyle with a time of 1:47.44 at a meet in Munich.
1996 — The American softball team wins the gold medal, beating China 3-1 behind a controversial two-run homer from Dot Richardson in the first Olympic competition in that sport.
2009 — Seven more world records on the fifth night of the world swimming championships in Rome are set, pushing the total to 29 and moving past last summer’s Beijing Olympics. Ryan Lochte gets things rolling by breaking Phelps’ mark in the 200-meter individual medley. The Chinese women finish it off, eclipsing the 800 freestyle relay mark by more than two seconds, with the Americans also breaking the previous record but only getting silver.
2012 — In London, Missy Franklin, a 17-year-old from Colorado, wins the women’s 100-meter backstroke. Franklin has a brief 13-minute break after taking the final qualifying spot in the 200 freestyle semifinals before she had to get back into the water for the backstroke final. Ruta Meilutyte, 15, becomes the first Lithuanian to win an Olympic swimming medal by holding off a late charge from world champion Rebecca Soni of the U.S. in the 100 breaststroke.
2013 — Katie Ledecky crushes the world record in the 1,500 freestyle for her second gold medal at the world swimming championships in Barcelona, Spain. The 16-year-old American finishes with a time of 15:36.53 to beat the previous mark by more than 6 seconds — Kate Ziegler’s 15:42.54 in 2007.
2015 — North Korea wins its first gold medal at the world aquatics championships through 16-year-old Kim Kuk Hyang in women’s 10-meter diving. In her first international competition, Kim produces a stunning final dive, earning two perfect 10 scores from the seven judges, for a total of 397.05 points. On the next dive, the leader up to that point, world champion Si Yajie of China, makes an error to drop to fourth.
2021 — South African swimmer Tatjana Shoemaker sets a new women’s 200m breaststroke world record of 2:18.95 at the Tokyo Olympics.
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July 31
1932 — France beats the U.S. 3-2 for its sixth consecutive Davis Cup championship.
1934 — Britain, led by Fred Perry and Bunny Austin, defeats the U.S. 4-1 at Wimbledon to win the Davis Cup title.
1942 — Jockey Bill Turnbull wins seven of nine races at Rockingham Park in Salem, N.H.
1954 — Joe Adcock hits four homers and a double to lift the Milwaukee Braves a 15-7 victory over Brooklyn.
1963 — The Cleveland Indians become the first American League club to hit four straight home runs. No. 8 hitter Woody Held hits a two-out homer off Paul Foytack and pitcher Pedro Ramos follows with his second homer of the game before Tito Francona and Larry Brown’s first major league homer finish this odd power surge. Foytack is the only major league pitcher to give up four straight home runs.
1973 — Julius Erving, the American Basketball Association’s leading scorer, is traded by the cash-strapped Virginia Squires to the New York Nets for forward George Carter and cash.
1983 — Jan Stephenson beats JoAnne Carner and Patty Sheehan by one stroke to win the U.S. Women’s Open.
1990 — Nolan Ryan wins his 300th game, reaching the milestone in his second try, as the Texas Rangers beat the Milwaukee Brewers 11-3.
1993 — Mike Aulby becomes the third player in PBA history to win a tournament by rolling a 300 game in the title game. Aulby beats David Ozio 300-279 in the Wichita Open.
1994 — Sergei Bubka sets a world pole vault record for the 35th time in his career at a meet in Sestriere, Italy. Bubka soars 20 feet, 1¾ inches, adding a half-inch to his mark set in Tokyo in 1992.
2000 — Dorothy Delasin becomes the LPGA’s youngest winner in 25 years by beating Pat Hurst on the second extra hole to win the Giant Eagle LPGA Classic. The 19-year-old Delasin is the youngest winner on the tour since Amy Alcott took the Orange Blossom Classic at age 19 in 1975.
2005 — Grant Hackett becomes the first swimmer to win four straight world titles in the same event, capturing another 1,500-meter freestyle. The Aussie stretches out his own record for world championship medals to 17.
2007 — All-Star Kevin Garnett is traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves to Boston for five players and two draft picks. The Celtics obtain the former MVP and 10-time All-Star from Minnesota for forwards Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes and Gerald Green, guard Sebastian Telfair and center Theo Ratliff and two first-round draft picks.
2011 — Yani Tseng wins the Women’s British Open for the second straight year, beating Brittany Lang by four strokes and becoming the youngest woman to capture a fifth major title. The 22-year-old top-ranked Taiwanese shot a 3-under 69 to finish at 16-under 272.
2012 — Michael Phelps breaks the Olympic medals record with his 19th, helping the U.S. romp to a 4×200-meter freestyle relay victory at the London Games. With 19 medals spanning three Olympics, Phelps moves one ahead of Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina, who got her haul in 1956, 1960 and 1964.
2012 — The team of Gabrielle Douglas, McKayla Maroney, Alexandra Raisman, Kyla Ross and Jordyn Wieber lives up to all the hype, winning the first U.S. Olympic title in women’s gymnastics since 1996.
2021 — Katie Ledecky wins the women’s 800m gold in Tokyo. This is the third consecutive Olympics she has won the race.
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TV SPORTS
(All times Eastern)
Schedule subject to change and/or blackouts
Saturday, July 26
AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL (MEN’S)
5:30 a.m.
FS2 — AFL: Geelong at North Melbourne
1 a.m. (Sunday)
FS2 — AFL: Melbourne at St. Kilda
AUTO RACING
5:55 a.m.
ESPN — Formula 1: Sprint Race, Circuit of Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot, Belgium
9:55 a.m.
ESPN2 — Formula 1: Qualifying, Circuit of Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot, Belgium
11:30 a.m.
FS1 — NTT IndyCar Series: Practice, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif.
1 p.m.
FS1 — Indy NXT Series: Qualifying, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif.
2:30 p.m.
FS1 — NTT IndyCar Series: Qualifying, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif.
2:35 p.m.
TRUTV — NASCAR Cup Series: Qualifying, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway, Ind.
4:30 p.m.
CW — NASCAR Xfinity Series: The Pennzoil 250, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway, Ind.
FS1 — Indy NXT Series: The Grand Prix of Monterey – Race 1, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif.
6 p.m.
FOX — NHRA: The Sonoma Challenge, Sonoma Raceway, Sonoma, Calif.
BIG3 BASKETBALL
1 p.m.
CBS — Week 7: Houston Rig Hans vs. Miami 305, LA Riot vs. Detroit Amps, DMV Trilogy vs. Dallas Power, Boston Ball Hogs vs. Chicago Triplets, Cincinnati
BOXING
9 p.m.
ESPN — Top Rank: Xander Zayas vs. Jorge Garcia (Junior Middleweights), New York
CFL FOOTBALL
7 p.m.
CBSSN — Winnipeg at Toronto
CYCLING
6 a.m.
PEACOCK — UCI: The Tour de France, Stage 20, Nantua / Pontarlier, France
8 a.m.
NBC — UCI: The Tour de France, Stage 20, Nantua / Pontarlier, France
2 p.m.
NBC — UCI: The Tour de France, Stage 20, Nantua / Pontarlier, France (Taped)
FOOTBALL
2 p.m.
ESPN2 — Women’s Football Alliance 2025 National Championship: D.C. Divas vs. St. Louis Slam, Canton, Ohio
GOLF
8 a.m.
FS1 — LIV Golf League: Second Round, JCB Golf & Country Club, Rocester, England
8:30 a.m.
GOLF — PGA Tour Champions: The ISPS HANDA Senior Open, Third Round, Sunningdale Golf Club (Old Course), Berkshire, England
10 a.m.
FOX — LIV Golf League: Second Round, JCB Golf & Country Club, Rocester, England
Noon
NBC — PGA Tour Champions: The ISPS HANDA Senior Open, Third Round, Sunningdale Golf Club (Old Course), Berkshire, England
1 p.m.
GOLF — PGA Tour: The 3M Open, Third Round, TPC Twin Cities, Blaine, Minn.
3 p.m.
CBS — PGA Tour: The 3M Open, Third Round, TPC Twin Cities, Blaine, Minn.
GOLF — 2025 U.S. Junior Amateur: Championship Match, Trinity Forest Golf Club, Dallas
HIGH SCHOOL LACROSSE (BOY’S)
8 p.m.
ESPNU — All-America Senior Game: North Team vs. South Team, Baltimore
HIGH SCHOOL LACROSSE (GIRL’S)
5:30 p.m.
ESPNU — All-America Senior Game: North Team vs. South Team, Baltimore
HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL
3 p.m.
ESPNU — PGF U-18 Premier National Championship: TBD, Irvine, Calif.
10 p.m.
ESPNU — PGF High School Senior All American Game: East vs. West, Irvine, Calif.
HORSE RACING
10 a.m.
FS2 — The King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes: From Ascot Racecourse, Ascot, England
12:30 p.m.
FS2 — NYRA: Saratoga Live
3 p.m.
FOX — The Jim Dandy Stakes: From Saratoga Race Course, Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
6 p.m.
FS1 — NYRA: Saratoga Live
LACROSSE (MEN’S)
9 p.m.
ESPN2 — PLL: Denver vs. Utah, Salt Lake City
MIXED MARTIAL ARTS
Noon
ESPN — UFC Fight Night Prelims: Undercard Bouts, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
3 p.m.
ABC — UFC Fight Night Main Card: Robert Whittaker vs. Reinier de Ridder (Middleweights), Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
MLB BASEBALL
1 p.m.
MLBN — Philadelphia at N.Y. Yankees (1:05 p.m.)
7 p.m.
FOX — Regional Coverage: Cleveland at Kansas City OR LA. Dodgers at Boston
9:30 p.m.
MLBN — Regional Coverage: Seattle at L.A. Angels (9:35 p.m.) OR N.Y. Mets at San Francisco (9:05 p.m.)
RUGBY (MEN’S)
6 a.m.
CBSSN — International Union: Australia vs. British & Irish Lions, East Melbourne, Australia
RUGBY (WOMEN’S)
9:55 p.m.
FS2 — Newcastle at Parramatta
11:40 p.m.
FS2 — Brisbane at St. George
SOCCER (MEN’S)
4 p.m.
NBC — Club Friendly: Everton vs. AFC Bournemouth, East Rutherford, N.J.
5 p.m.
FS2 — Canadian Premier League: York United FC at Cavalry FC
7 p.m.
ESPN2 — USL Jagermeister Cup Group Stage: Westchester SC at Detroit City FC, Group D
FS1 — MLS: FC Cincinnati at Inter Miami CF
8 p.m.
FS2 — Canadian Premier League: Atletico Ottawa at Pacific FC
SOFTBALL
3 p.m.
ESPN — Athletes Unlimited Postseason: Bandits vs. Talons, Championship – Game 1, Tuscaloosa, Ala.
TENNIS
8:30 a.m.
TENNIS — Kitzbuhel-ATP Final
10:30 a.m.
TENNIS — Prague-WTA Final; Washington-ATP/WTA Quarterfinals
Noon
TENNIS — Washington-ATP/WTA Doubles Final
2:30 p.m.
TENNIS — Washington-WTA Semifinals
7 p.m.
TENNIS — Washington-ATP Semifinals
VOLLEYBALL (WOMEN’S)
10 a.m.
CBSSN — FIVB Nations League: Italy vs. Poland, Semifinal, Lodz, Poland
2 p.m.
CBSSN — FIVB Nations League: Brazil vs. Japan, Semifinal, Lodz, Poland
WNBA BASKETBALL
7 p.m.
NBATV — Los Angeles at New York
_____
(All times Eastern)
Schedule subject to change and/or blackouts
SUNDAY, JULY 27
AUTO RACING
8:55 a.m.
ESPN — Formula 1: The Moet & Chandon Belgian Grand Prix, Circuit of Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot, Belgium
10 a.m.
CBSSN — FIM Motocross World Championship: The MX2, Loket, Czechia
11 a.m.
CBSSN — FIM Motocross World Championship: The MXGP, Loket, Czechia
Noon
CBS — ABB FIA Formula E World Championship: The Fantastic 4 London E-Prix – Round 16, London
CBSSN — FIM Junior Motocross: World Championship, Loket, Czechia
FS2 — NTT IndyCar Series: Warmup, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif.
1 p.m.
FS1 — Indy NXT Series: The Grand Prix of Monterey – Race 2, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif.
2 p.m.
TNT — NASCAR Cup Series: The Championship Round – Brickyard 400 Presented by PPG, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway, Ind.
TRUTV — NASCAR Cup Series: The Championship Round – Brickyard 400 Presented by PPG, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway, Ind. (In-Season Challenge Alt-Cast)
3 p.m.
FOX — NTT IndyCar Series: The Java House Grand Prix of Monterey, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif.
FS1 — NHRA: Qualifying, Sonoma Raceway, Sonoma, Calif. (Taped)
4 p.m.
FS1 — NHRA: The Denso Sonoma Nationals presented by PowerEdge, Sonoma Raceway, Sonoma, Calif.
BASKETBALL (MEN’S)
7 p.m.
FS1 — The Basketball Tournament: Fail Harder vs. We Are D3, Quarterfinal, Wichita, Kan.
9 p.m.
FS1 — The Basketball Tournament: AfterShocks vs. Heartfire, Quarterfinal, Wichita, Kan.
CYCLING
9:30 a.m.
PEACOCK — UCI: The Tour de France, Final Stage, Mantes-la-Ville/ Paris Champs-Elysees, France
2 p.m.
NBC — UCI: The Tour de France, Final Stage, Mantes-la-Ville/ Paris Champs-Elysees, France (Taped)
GOLF
8 a.m.
FS1 — LIV Golf League: Final Round, JCB Golf and Country Club, Derbyshire, England
8:30 a.m.
GOLF — PGA Tour Champions: The ISPS HANDA Senior Open, Final Round, Sunningdale Golf Club (Old Course), Berkshire, England
10 a.m.
FOX — LIV Golf League: Second Round, JCB Golf and Country Club, Derbyshire, England
Noon
NBC — PGA Tour Champions: The ISPS HANDA Senior Open, Final Round, Sunningdale Golf Club (Old Course), Berkshire, England
1 p.m.
GOLF — PGA Tour: The 3M Open, Final Round, TPC Twin Cities, Blaine, Minn.
3 p.m.
CBS — PGA Tour: The 3M Open, Final Round, TPC Twin Cities, Blaine, Minn.
HORSE RACING
1 p.m.
FS2 — NYRA: America’s Day at the Races
2 p.m.
FS1 — NYRA: America’s Day at the Races
3 p.m.
FS2 — NYRA: America’s Day at the Races
MLB BASEBALL
1:30 p.m.
MLBN — 2025 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony: From Cooperstown, N.Y.
7 p.m.
ESPN — N.Y. Mets at San Francisco
ESPN2 — N.Y. Mets at San Francisco (StatCast)
RODEO
1:30 p.m.
CBS — PBR: Camping World Team Series, Duluth, Ga. (Taped)
SOCCER (MEN’S)
7:25 a.m.
CBSSN — Club Friendly: Arsenal vs. Newcastle, Singapore
SOCCER (WOMEN’S)
Noon
FOX — UEFA Euro 2025 Championship: England vs. Spain, Final, Basel, Switzerland
SOFTBALL
2 p.m.
ESPN — Athletes Unlimited Postseason: Talons vs. Bandits, Championship – Game 2, Tuscaloosa, Ala.
TENNIS
10 a.m.
TENNIS — Umag-ATP Final
Noon
TENNIS — Washington-ATP Doubles Final
2:30 p.m.
TENNIS — Washington-WTA Final
5 p.m.
TENNIS — Washington-ATP Final
7 p.m.
TENNIS — Canada-ATP/WTA Early Rounds
TRACK AND FIELD
4 p.m.
NBC — Grand Slam Track: Day 3, Los Angeles
VOLLEYBALL (WOMEN’S)
3 p.m.
CBSSN — FIVB Nations League: TBD, Final, Lodz, Poland
WNBA BASKETBALL
1 p.m.
CBSSN — Golden State at Connecticut
3 p.m.
ABC — Indiana at Chicago
7 p.m.
NBATV — Atlanta at Minnesota
YOUTH SOCCER
7:30 a.m.
ESPNU — U.S. Youth Soccer National Championships: TBD, U-19 Boys Finals, Orlando, Fla.
10:30 a.m.
ESPNU — U.S. Youth Soccer National Championships: TBD, U-19 Girls Finals, Orlando, Fla.
