WSJM Sports

MLB – Major League Baseball
Last Night
Chicago Cubs 4, Cincinnati Reds 2                        (Field of Dreams game Dyersville, IA)
Cleveland Guardians 4, Detroit Tigers 3 – 10 Innings
Kansas City Royals 5, Chicago White Sox 3

Cubs 4, Reds 2 – Smyly stars as Cubs beat Reds in 2nd ‘Field of Dreams’ game
After the Griffeys played catch in Iowa, Drew Smyly took over. Smyly struck out nine in five scoreless innings, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds 4-2 in Major League Baseball’s second “Field of Dreams” game. Seiya Suzuki reached three times and Nick Madrigal had three hits for Chicago in a throwback ballpark a short walk away from the main field for the 1989 movie. The night began with Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. and his father emerging from the iconic cornstalks to play catch in the outfield, delighting the sellout crowd of 7,823.

Guardians 4, Tigers 3 – F/10 – Guardians top Tigers in 10 innings, extend win streak to 5
Rookie Oscar Gonzalez knocked in the go-ahead run with a two-out single in the 10th inning and the Cleveland Guardians extended their winning streak to five games, beating the Detroit Tigers 4-3. Gonzalez’s hit off Gregory Soto allowed the Guardians to escape after they squandered a two-run lead in the ninth. Cleveland reliever Trevor Stephan opened the ninth by allowing a walk, a single and Jonathan Schoop’s RBI double that got Detroit within 3-2. Enyel De Los Santos came in with one out and gave up Eric Haase’s tying fielder’s-choice grounder. Bryan Shaw worked the 10th for his first save of the season.

Royals 5, White Sox 3 – Greinke helps Royals beat Cease, White Sox 5-3
Zack Greinke worked out of trouble to hold Chicago scoreless into the seventh inning, and the Kansas City Royals beat Dylan Cease and the White Sox 5-3. Greinke allowed nine hits but didn’t walk a batter, striking out five while throwing 95 pitches in 6 1/3 innings. Vinnie Pasquantino homered and Nicky Lopez had a two-run single for the Royals, who won back-to-back four-game series for the first time since Aug. 11-18, 2014. Kansas City took three of four from visiting Boston before doing the same to Chicago. Cease allowed three hits and one run in six innings as his ERA dropped to 1.96.

Tonight
Detroit (Norris 0-4) at Chicago White Sox (Kopech 4-8), 7:10 p.m.                 WSJM/WCSY 6:50
Cubs are off (The Cubs resume their three game series with the Reds Saturday at 6:40 p.m. in Cincinnati)

MLB – No Latino GMs in MLB after Avila firing, only 3 managers
There are no Latino general managers left in Major League Baseball after the Detroit Tigers fired Al Avila. It’s a fact even St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol didn’t realize until Thursday. Marmol himself is one of only three Latino on-field managers. The others are Boston’s Alex Cora and Washington’s Dave Martinez. There were four when the season started, but the Toronto Blue Jays fired Charlie Montoyo last month. About 29% of the players on big league rosters to start this season were Latino or Hispanic, with the percentage of coaches just a tick higher. But that hasn’t translated to similar numbers in management positions on and off the field

WNBA – Women’s National Basketball Association
Last Night
Las Vegas Aces 89, Chicago Sky 78

Aces 89, Sky 78 – Aces move atop WNBA standings with one game remaining
Kelsey Plum had 25 points and four 3-pointers, Jackie Young scored 16 of her 22 points in the third quarter and the Las Vegas Aces beat the Chicago Sky 89-78 to move atop the WNBA standings with one game remaining. Las Vegas (25-10) and Chicago (25-10) are tied for the top spot, with the Aces holding a tiebreaker in the race for home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. The Aces close the regular season on Sunday against Seattle, while the Sky play the Phoenix Mercury. A’ja Wilson and Riquna Williams each scored 12 points for Las Vegas. Kahleah Copper tied a career-high with 28 points for Chicago, which was undone by 17 turnovers.

Tonight
Washington Mystics at Indiana Fever, 7:00 p.m.

NFL – National Football League – Preseason week 1
Last Night
New York Giants 23, New England Patriots 21
Baltimore Ravens 23, Tennessee Titans 10

Tonight
Atlanta Falcons at Detroit Lions, 6:00 p.m.

Saturday
Kansas City Chiefs at Chicago Bears, 1:00 p.m.

NFL – Contract standoff between Bears, star LB Smith continues
The contract standoff between the Chicago Bears and Roquan Smith continued Thursday with the star linebacker watching practice from the sideline and new coach Matt Eberflus saying he expects healthy players participating on the field. The Bears removed Smith from the physically unable to perform list on Wednesday a day after he went public with a trade request. The move by the team opened up the possibility of fines for missing practices. Eberflus declined to discuss what actions the team might take. But he made it clear he expects healthy players to practice. Smith has accused the Bears of using bad-faith tactics during negotiations for a contract extension.

NFL – Chiefs’ Mahomes to buck NFL trend, play preseason opener
Patrick Mahomes will start the Kansas City Chiefs’ preseason opener in Chicago on Saturday. That bucks a trend across the NFL of coaches sitting their starting quarterbacks for the first of their three exhibition games. Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Thursday he would stick to his usual routine of having each of the four quarterbacks in camp play for a quarter of the preseason opener. And while he acknowledged the number of snaps could change based on the way the game is going, Reid thinks it’s important for everybody to get onto the field in some capacity.

NFL – Police: Marshawn Lynch was asleep, car damaged before arrest
Police in Las Vegas say former NFL running back Marshawn Lynch was asleep and smelled of alcohol when he was found in his damaged sports car this week and arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Lynch’s attorneys responded Thursday with a statement saying Lynch was in a parked car, not driving, and a DUI charge won’t stick. The arresting officer says police found markings suggesting Lynch’s black Shelby GT500 hit sidewalks before stopping in an industrial part of downtown Las Vegas. The 7:30 a.m. Tuesday arrest came after the Seattle Seahawks announced Monday that Lynch had been hired as a team broadcast special correspondent. In 12 NFL seasons, Lynch also played for the Buffalo Bills and Oakland Raiders.

NCAAMBKB – Michigan State gives Tom Izzo new deal worth $6.2M per year
Michigan State has signed basketball coach Tom Izzo to a new deal valued at $6.2 million per season. The school announced the deal Thursday, saying that the five-year rollover contract will need to be approved by its board next month. The 67-year-old Izzo was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016. He won a national championship in 2000 and leads all active coaches with eight Final Four appearances. He led Michigan State to a 24th straight NCAA Tournament last season. He has won the Big Ten title 10 times in the regular season and six conference tournament championships.

NBA – Russell’s No. 6 being retired across NBA, a 1st for league
Bill Russell’s No. 6 jersey is being retired across the NBA, a first for the league. The league and the National Basketball Players Association announced Thursday that the number worn by the 11-time champion, civil rights activist and person good enough to be enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach was being permanently retired by all 30 teams. Major League Baseball permanently retired No. 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson, who broke the big league’s color barrier. And the NHL retired Wayne Gretzky’s No. 99 in honor of that sport’s all-time scoring leader. NBA players who currently wear No. 6 — including the Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James — may continue doing so. But the number cannot be issued again.

NHL – Vegas goalie Robin Lehner to miss upcoming season
Vegas Golden Knights goalie Robin Lehner will require hip surgery and is expected to miss the upcoming season. The 31-year-old Lehner will likely spend the entire 2022-23 season on long-term injured reserve. The team said no timeline for his recovery has been determined yet. Lehner started 44 games for the Golden Knights last season and finished 23-17-2. He has three years remaining on a contract that carries a $5 million annual cap hit.

FIFA – FIFA moves World Cup start in Qatar up 1 day to Nov. 20
FIFA has formally moved the World Cup start up by one day to Nov. 20. It gives host nation Qatar an exclusive Sunday evening slot with a global audience. Qatar will now play Ecuador in Doha on Nov. 20 just 101 days after FIFA’s decision Thursday. It stretches the World Cup to 29 days from the 28 agreed seven years ago. The surprise late switch was signed off by a FIFA committee including president Gianni Infantino and leaders of the six continental soccer bodies. The plan was revealed Wednesday after several rounds of global ticket sales to fans since last year.

USA Soccer – Equal pay deal for US women’s soccer approved by judge
The proposed $24 million settlement between U.S. women soccer players and the sport’s American governing body was given preliminary approval by a federal judge. U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner granted the motion for approval filed by the players. He scheduled a Dec. 5 hearing for final approval. Players, including Megan Rapinoe, Becky Sauerbrunn and Alex Morgan, sued in 2016. The U.S. Soccer Federation agreed in April to pay $22 million to the players plus establish a $2 million fund to benefit the players in their post-soccer careers and charitable efforts.

IIHF – US beats Swiss 7-1 to improve to 2-0 in world junior hockey
Carter Mazur scored twice in the United States’ five-goal second period and the defending champion Americans beat Switzerland 7-1 on Thursday night to improve to 2-0 in the world junior hockey championship. Brock Faber, Landon Slaggert, Matthew Corondato, Thomas Bordeleau and Riley Duran also scored for the United States. Kaidan Mbereko made 23 saves, allowing only Joel Henry’s goal that tied it at 1 midway through the second. The United States will face Austria on Saturday and close Group B round-robin play against Sweden on Sunday. Earlier, Canada improved to 2-0 in Group A, with captain Mason McTavish scoring four goals and adding two assists in an 11-1 victory over Slovakia.

Golf – PGA – Fowler, Day make early bid in Memphis to keep season going
Rickie Fowler and Jason Day have reason to feel lucky to be even in the PGA Tour’s postseason. And now they want to keep going. Each shot a 65 in the opening round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship. That’s not enough for the lead, only to give them hope. The co-leaders are Si Woo Kim and J.J. Spaun at 62. But the opening event of the FedEx Cup playoffs is all about being in position to move on to the next round. Fowler and Day needed some of their best golf. They got off on the right foot.

MILB – Midwest League Baseball
Last Night
Great Lakes Loons 2, Peoria Chiefs 0
Lansing Lugnuts 5, Dayton Dragons 4
Beloit Sky Carp 4, West Michigan Whitecaps 2
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 5, South Bend Cubs 2

Tonight
Peoria Chiefs at Great Lakes Loons, 7:05 p.m.
Lansing Lugnuts at Dayton Dragons, 7:05 p.m.
West Michigan Whitecaps at Beloit Sky Carp, 7:35 p.m.
South Bend Cubs at Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, 7:40 p.m.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

MLB – Tigers GM Al Avila fired after 7 years, no playoffs
The Detroit Tigers have fired general manager Al Avila, ending a seven-year tenure with no playoff appearances. Owner Chris Ilitch announced the move with his team mired in another disappointing season. Detroit entered Wednesday at 43-68, last in the AL Central. Ilitch invested millions in the offseason in an attempt to return his team to contention. Assistant general manager Sam Menzin takes over the day-to-day leadership role. Avila was promoted to general manager a little more than seven years ago after serving as Dave Dombrowski’s assistant. The Tigers had only one winning season during Avila’s tenure. Avila was the only Latino general manager or equivalent in the majors.

MLB – Major League Baseball
Last Night
Cleveland Guardians 3, Detroit Tigers 2
Kansas City Royals 8, Chicago White Sox 3
Chicago Cubs 4, Washington Nationals 2

Guardians 3, Tigers 2 – Guardians beat Tigers 3-2 after Detroit fires GM Al Avila
Steven Kwan hit a leadoff triple and scored to help Cleveland Guardians get off to a solid start and James Karinchak struck out three to strand three runners in the eighth inning to help them hold on to beat the Detroit Tigers 3-2 Wednesday night. Aaron Civale started for Cleveland after being on the 15-day injured list with wrist inflammation and retired the first nine batters. Civale gave up two runs and three hits while striking out four over four innings. Karinchak and five other relievers — including Bryan Shaw (5-2) — combined for five innings of scoreless relief. Emmanuel Clase gave up one hit in the ninth, earning his 26th save. Cleveland started the day tied with Minnesota for first place in the AL Central. The Guardians lead the last-place Tigers by 16 games in the division.

Royals 8, White Sox 3 – Royals rookie Melendez delivers in 8-3 win over White Sox
MJ Melendez hit a tiebreaking homer in the seventh inning to send the Kansas City Royals past the Chicago White Sox 8-3. Melendez and Salvador Perez both had three hits and two RBIs for the Royals. Kyle Isbel drove in two runs and scored twice. After leading all minor leaguers with 41 home runs last year, Melendez has 14 in 81 big league games this season. The left-handed-hitting rookie sent a pitch from lefty reliever Jake Diekman into the right-field bullpen to give Kansas City a 4-3 lead. Isbel hit a two-run single in the eighth and scored on Melendez’s single. Perez added an RBI single to make it 8-3. Josh Staumont worked a perfect seventh for the win.

Cubs 4, Nationals 2 – Hoerner, Cubs top power-hitting rookie Meneses, Nationals
Nico Hoerner homered to ignite a four-run rally in the seventh inning that sent the Chicago Cubs over power-hitting rookie Joey Meneses and the Washington Nationals 4-2. Hoerner’s seventh home run ended a shutout bid by Nationals starter Josiah Gray and enabled the Cubs to earn just their second win in 51 games in which they trailed entering the seventh. The Cubs have won four of six and next play Thursday in the Field of Dreams game in Iowa against Cincinnati. Meneses homered in his third straight game for the Nationals, who have lost seven of eight. The 30-year-old Meneses made his major league debut on Aug. 2. He became the first player in Nationals franchise history to homer four times in his first seven games.

Today
Cleveland (Plesac 2-10) at Detroit (Hill 2-3), 1:10 p.m.              WSJM/WCSY 6:50
Chicago White Sox (Cease 12-4) at Kansas City (Greinke 3-7), 2:10 p.m.
Chicago Cubs (Smyly 4-6) vs. Cincinnati (Lodolo 3-3), 7:15 p.m.           (Field of Dreams game Dyersville, IA)

WNBA – Women’s National Basketball Association
Tonight
Chicago Sky at Las Vegas Aces, 10:00 p.m.

NFL – National Football League – Preseason week 1
Tonight
New York Giants at New England Patriots, 7:00 p.m.
Tennessee Titans at Baltimore Ravens, 7:30 p.m.

NFL – Bears remove Smith from PUP list, another twist in standoff
The Chicago Bears’ standoff with Roquan Smith took another turn when the team removed the star linebacker from the physically unable to perform list a day after he went public with a trade demand. It was unclear if the Bears took him off the list Wednesday because of a potential contract extension or trade, or to fine him for missing practices. Smith has been a “hold-in” since training camp began with negotiations on a new deal apparently at a standstill. Placing him on the physically unable to perform list allowed him to attend meetings and workouts at Halas Hall without being fined for missing practices. Smith, who does not have an agent, accused the Bears of not negotiating in good faith in a statement on Tuesday.

NFL – Backups will continue QB battle in Lions preseason opener
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff is expected to play briefly in the preseason opener before Tim Boyle and David Blough get a chance to compete to be the team’s backup and perhaps seal a spot on the roster. This offseason, the Lions made it a point to bring back Boyle and Blough on one-year deals after both shared reserve backup duties last season. It was Boyle who served as Goff’s primary backup in 2021, but this year the two have been splitting time with the second-team offense in training camp.

NCAA – Big Ten – Notre Dame AD: Big Ten deal with NBC ‘perfect’ for Irish
Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick says the coming Big Ten television contract with NBC is a “perfect” way for the network to complement its deal with the Fighting Irish. Swarbrick held a live chat for Notre Dame’s alumni association. He addressed recent developments with the Big Ten and how they could impact the school’s ability to remain a football independent. The Big Ten is moving toward media rights contracts with Fox, NBC and CBS. NBC has had exclusive rights to broadcast Notre Dame home games since 1991. Swarbrick says NBC having more college football will help promote Notre Dame games.

NBA – Lawyer: Photos of Kobe Bryant’s remains shared ‘for a laugh’
A lawyer for the widow of Kobe Bryant told jurors that a “culture of callousness” led Los Angeles County deputies and firefighters to share photos of the remains of Kobe Bryant and other victims of the 2020 helicopter crash that killed the Lakers star, his 13-year-old daughter, and seven others. Vanessa Bryant’s lawyer Luis Li said the photos were “visual gossip” that were shared “for a laugh.” Vanessa Bryant is suing for invasion of privacy. An attorney for LA County said the photos were an essential tool at the crash scene, and that officials successfully kept them from becoming public.

NHL – Ex-Leafs star Salming diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease
Former Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings defenseman Borje Salming has been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease, the team announced Wednesday. Salming, who played 16 seasons with the Leafs and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996, said he recognizes that there is no cure for the disease but says there are treatments available to slow the progression. Salming, 71, is receiving treatment in his native Sweden, where there are more than 800 patients living with ALS.

MILB – Midwest League Baseball
Last Night
Great Lakes Loons 3, Peoria Chiefs 2 – 10 Innings
Lansing Lugnuts 6, Dayton Dragons 2 – 10 Innings
West Michigan Whitecaps 5, Beloit Sky Carp 4 – 10 Innings
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 6, South Bend Cubs 2

Tonight
Peoria Chiefs at Great Lakes Loons, 7:05 p.m.
Lansing Lugnuts at Dayton Dragons, 7:05 p.m.
West Michigan Whitecaps at Beloit Sky Carp, 7:35 p.m.
South Bend Cubs at Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, 7:40 p.m.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

NCAA – Big Ten – AP sources: ESPN out of Big Ten TV rights negotiations
The Big Ten’s next television contracts will not include a deal with ESPN. Two people familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press that the Big Ten was looking for a seven-year deal worth $380 million per year from ESPN, and the network declined. The people spoke to The AP on condition of anonymity because the negotiations were not being made public. Sports Business Journal first reported that ESPN was out of the Big Ten negotiations and CBS and NBC were likely to land pieces of the conference’s rights. ESPN has held television rights for the Big Ten since the mid-1980s. The network has shared Big Ten rights with Fox in the latest contract. Fox will remain the primary rights holder.

MLB – Major League Baseball
Last Night
Cleveland Guardians 5, Detroit Tigers 2
Kansas City Royals 4, Chicago White Sox 2 – Game 1
Chicago White Sox 3, Kansas City Royals 2 – Game 2
Washington Nationals 6, Chicago Cubs 5

Guardians 5, Tigers 2 – Bieber’s strong outing leads Guardians past Tigers, 5-2
Shane Bieber pitched seven dominant innings, Oscar Gonzalez drove in two runs and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Detroit Tigers 5-2 for their third straight win. Bieber (7-6) allowed just four singles and a walk while striking out eight. Amed Rosario had three hits, including two doubles, while scoring a run and driving in another. Cleveland entered the night trailing first-place Minnesota by one game in the American League Central Division. Tyler Alexander (2-6) gave up two runs and seven hits in seven innings for Detroit.

Royals 4, White Sox 2/White Sox 3, Royals 2 – Minus All-Star SS Anderson, White Sox split twinbill with KC
Lenyn Sosa hit his first major league home run and Yoan Moncada also connected as the Chicago White Sox, minus injured All-Star shortstop Tim Anderson, beat the Kansas City Royals 3-2 to split a doubleheader. The Royals won the first game 4-2. Vinnie Pasquantino homered in both games for Kansas City. Anderson is expected to miss six weeks with a tear in the middle finger of his left hand. He was put on the 10-day injured list between games of the twinbill. Anderson was injured on a check swing during his last at-bat on Saturday night at Texas. He will have surgery on Thursday in Chicago. The 29-year-old Anderson is hitting .301 for the playoff-contending White Sox. He missed the opener while finishing up a two-game suspension for making contact with an umpire.

Nationals 6, Cubs 5 – Meneses hits 2-run HR in 8th as Nationals beat Cubs 6-5
Joey Meneses hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning, Keibert Ruiz went deep twice and the Washington Nationals regrouped after blowing a three-run lead, beating the Chicago Cubs 6-5 to snap a six-game losing streak. The Nationals were rolling along with a 4-1 lead, thanks to Ruiz’s solo drive in the second and three-run shot in the fourth against Marcus Stroman. Chicago scored four in the seventh to go up 5-4, capped by RBI singles by newcomer Franmil Reyes and Nico Hoerner against Kyle Finnegan. But the Nationals regrouped. Meneses came through against Mark Leiter Jr. in the eighth, after Maikel Franco singled with one out and Yadiel Hernandez struck out.

Today
Washington (Gray 7-8) at Chicago Cubs (Steele 4-7), 2:20 p.m.
Cleveland (Civale 2-5) at Detroit (Hutchison 1-5), 7:10 p.m.                WSJM/WCSY 6:50
Chicago White Sox (Cueto 4-5) at Kansas City (Bubic 2-6), 8:10 p.m.

NBA – Kobe Bryant crash photos lawsuit to be heard by LA jury
Kobe Bryant’s widow is taking her lawsuit against the Los Angeles County sheriff’s and fire departments to a federal jury seeking compensation for photos deputies shared of the remains of the NBA star, his daughter and seven others killed in a helicopter crash in 2020. Jury selection begins in U.S. District Court on Wednesday in the invasion of privacy case. The county has argued that the photos, which were ordered deleted, have never been in the media, on the internet or otherwise publicly disseminated. Bryant is seeking unspecified millions because she fears the photos may eventually surface.

WNBA – Women’s National Basketball Association
Last Night
Seattle Storm 111, Chicago Sky 100

Storms 111, Sky 100 – Storm set WNBA record with 37 assists, beat Sky 111-100
Breanna Stewart had 25 points and nine rebounds, Gabby Williams added 21 points and seven assists, and the Seattle Storm set a WNBA record with 37 assists in a 111-100 victory over the Chicago Sky. Seattle also set a franchise record for scoring in any half with 66 first-half points, but the Storm only led by 11 points after Chicago closed on a 13-4 run. The 121 combined first-half points were the most in a first half this season in the WNBA. Seattle led by as many as 22 points in the second half and hit the century mark with 4:50 left in the fourth. Despite the loss, Chicago is still in the driver’s seat to earn the No. 1 seed in the playoff.

WNBA – Veteran emissary Richardson hopeful for Griner, Whelan swap
Bill Richardson, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and a frequent emissary in hostage negotiations, says he’s hopeful about the chances of a two-for-two prisoner swap that could result in the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan. Richardson said in an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday that in cases like this it’s “proportional.” Richardson traveled to Russia ahead of the release by Moscow of Marine veteran Trevor Reed in an April prisoner swap. He declined to discuss the current status of negotiations over Griner or Whelan or to explain what role he may be playing in the talks.

NFL – Bears star LB Smith requests trade after breakdown in talks
Chicago Bears star linebacker Roquan Smith is requesting a trade, saying the team hasn’t negotiated in good faith for a contract extension. Smith doesn’t have an agent. He wrote Tuesday in a statement that he has “officially” asked to be dealt and that it was “deeply painful.” He said he has been trying to negotiate an extension since April and accused the team of trying to take advantage of him. Smith was second-team All-Pro in 2020 and 2021. He is entering the fifth and final year of his rookie contract. General manager Ryan Poles says he will not honor the request and will try to negotiate a deal with him.

NFL – Goodell: NFL appeal of Watson suspension ‘right thing to do’
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says he feels the league needed to keep pushing for a year-long suspension for Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson because of his “egregious” and “predatory behavior” toward women. Goodell was addressing the league’s decision to appeal a six-game suspension given to Watson by Sue L. Robinson, a former federal judge appointed by the NFL and NFL Players Association as an independent league disciplinary officer. Robinson found Watson violated the league’s conduct policy after he was accused by two dozen women of sexual assault or harassment while he played for Houston.

NFL/USFL – NFL teams tapping USFL veterans for help in training camp
Terrell Bonds owes his latest NFL opportunity to the revived USFL where he played 10 games this spring. He’s got lots of company as the NFL starts its first week of preseason games Thursday night. Bonds is among at least 41 players from the USFL’s inaugural season signed by 26 of the NFL’s 32 teams. Wide receiver has been the most popular position followed by cornerback as NFL teams look for help during training camps. Bonds is with the Tennessee Titans after playing in college at Tennessee State. He used to talk of playing for the Titans. Bonds says he’s thankful to see it actually come true.

Golf – PGA/LIV – Federal judge denies LIV golfers bid for PGA Tour postseason
A federal judge in California has ruled three golfers who joined Saudi-backed LIV Golf will not be able to compete in the PGA Tour’s postseason. U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman made her decision in San Jose after attorneys for the sides each spoke about an hour. The golfers were seeking a temporary restraining order, which Freeman denied. Talor Gooch, Matt Jones and Hudson Swafford claimed they should be able to play where they want to. They are among 10 players who filed an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour last week — including Phil Mickelson.

NHL – Rangers name defenseman Jacob Trouba captain
The New York Rangers have named defenseman and former Michigan Wolverine Jacob Trouba captain. Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury announced the selection in a news release and the team later held a news conference with Drury, Trouba and coach Gerard Gallant at their practice facility in Greenburgh, New York. Trouba has totaled 20 goals and 58 assists in 189 games over the last three seasons with the Rangers. The 28-year-old, an alternate captain the last two seasons, is the 28th captain in franchise history, and the first since Ryan McDonagh was traded in 2018. Trouba is one of three defensemen currently serving as captain in the NHL, joining Jared Spurgeon (Minnesota) and Roman Josi (Nashville).

Tennis – Serena Williams says ‘countdown has begun’ to retirement
Serena Williams says she is preparing to step away from tennis after winning 23 Grand Slam titles, turning her focus to having another child and her business interests. “I’m turning 41 this month, and something’s got to give,” Williams wrote in an essay released Tuesday by Vogue magazine. Williams said she does not like the word retirement and prefers to think of this stage of her life as “evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me.” Williams is playing this week in Toronto, at a hard-court tournament that leads into the U.S. Open. The year’s last Grand Slam event begins in New York on Aug. 29.

Tennis – Serena Williams’ legacy involves plenty of wins, plenty else
Serena Williams is famous for her 23 Grand Slam singles titles. That is more than any other tennis player accumulated in the sport’s professional era. But mere numbers can’t capture everything Williams has represented during a distinguished career that began when she was a teenager in the 1990s and is remarkable for not just the successes but also the longevity, including a record 10 major championships after turning 30. What Williams has done without a racket in her hand is also rather noteworthy, whether it was her off-court interests or her stands on key issues in tennis and society at large.

LLWS – Beaned Little League batter rises to console upset pitcher
A Little League batter rose from a beaning to console the upset pitcher in a dramatic scene at a Little League regional tournament game in Waco, Texas. Pearland, Texas, righthander Kaiden Shelton was facing Tulsa, Oklahoma, batter Isaiah Jarvis Tuesday when an 0-2 pitch got away from him, striking Jarvis in the helmet. Jarvis fell to the ground clutching his head but was able after a few moments to take first base. Meanwhile, Shelton stood on the mound staring at the ground in tears until Jarvis walked to the mound and put his arms around Shelton to comfort him. The gesture drew a standing ovation.

MILB – Midwest League Baseball
Last Night
Peoria Chiefs 7, Great Lakes Loons 1
Dayton Dragons 4, Lansing Lugnuts 2
Beloit Sky Carp 3, West Michigan Whitecaps 2
South Bend Cubs 8, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 7 – 10 Innings

Tonight
Peoria Chiefs at Great Lakes Loons, 7:05 p.m.
Lansing Lugnuts at Dayton Dragons, 7:05 p.m.
West Michigan Whitecaps at Beloit Sky Carp, 7:35 p.m.
South Bend Cubs at Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, 7:40 p.m.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

MLB – Major League Baseball
Yesterday
Chicago Cubs 6, Washington Nationals 3
White Sox and Tigers were off

Cubs 6, Nationals 3 – Thompson, Velázquez, Morel power Cubs past Nationals 6-3
Keegan Thompson pitched six effective innings, rookies Nelson Velázquez and Christopher Morel homered in the third inning, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Washington Nationals 6-3. Thompson (9-5) didn’t walk a batter for the second time in three starts while scattering five hits over six innings. Luke Voit hit a homer off Thompson with one out in the sixth to end Thompson’s shutout bid. Velázquez’s homer highlighted the first three-hit game of his career. Anibal Sanchez (0-5) took the loss. The Cubs won for the third time in four games. The Nationals dropped their sixth straight game and have been outscored 51-20 in that span.

Today
Chicago White Sox (Lynn 2-4) at Kansas City (TBD), 4:10 p.m. – Game 1
Chicago White Sox (TBD) at Kansas City (TBD), 7:40 p.m. – Game 2
Cleveland (Bieber 6-6) at Detroit (Alexander 2-5), 7:10 p.m.                WSJM/WCSY 6:50
Washington (Espino 0-4) at Chicago Cubs (Stroman 3-5), 8:05 p.m.

MLB – Cubs to cut OF Jason Heyward after the season
The Chicago Cubs will cut ties with right fielder Jason Heyward after this season, ending one of baseball’s most expensive and unproductive free-agent signings with a year left on his contract. Heyward, who turns 33 on Tuesday, signed an eight-year, $184 million contract before the 2016 season but has batted only .245 with 62 home runs in seven seasons with the Cubs. He is batting .204 with one home run and 10 RBIs in 137 at-bats this year and has been on the 10-day injured list since June 27 because of right knee inflammation. Heyward was a regular on the 2016 Cubs team that won the World Series and famously rallied teammates with an inspirational pep talk during a rain delay late in Game 7 at Cleveland.

WNBA – Women’s National Basketball Association
Tonight
Seattle Storm at Chicago Sky, 8:00 p.m.

NFL – Lions lose 4th player to retirement this summer
Detroit Lions rookie offensive tackle Zein Obeid has retired, the fourth player to end his career with the team in two months. Lions coach Dan Campbell said Monday that Kendall Lamm was signed to fill Obeid’s roster spot. Obeid, who played at Ferris State, was an undrafted rookie as were recent retirees Jermaine Waller, a defensive back from Virginia Tech, and Corey Sutton, a former Appalachian State receiver. Defensive tackle John Penisini retired in late July after starting 12 games as a sixth-round pick in 2020 and playing in 16 games as a reserve last year.

NFL – NFL: Rodgers’ use of ayahuasca didn’t violate drug policy
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ use of the hallucinogenic drink ayahuasca during an offseason retreat isn’t considered a violation of the NFL’s drug policy. Rodgers discussed on “The Aubrey Marcus Podcast” last week how he went on an ayahuasca retreat to Peru in 2020. Ayahuasca is defined as a psychoactive beverage native to South America and is often used for religious, ritualistic or medicinal purposes. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy says it wouldn’t have triggered a positive test result on either the substance abuse or performance-enhancing substance policies collectively bargained by the NFL and its players’ association.

NBA – AP source: Durant reiterates desire to be traded by Brooklyn
Kevin Durant has again told Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai that he wants to be traded. He’s reiterating a request he first made nearly six weeks ago. That’s according to a person with knowledge of the matter who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity on Monday night. That person says Durant also told Tsai that he has concerns about the Nets’ direction under coach Steve Nash and general manager Sean Marks. The Athletic first reported the details of the latest meeting between Tsai and Durant. Tsai tweeted Monday night that he supports the team’s front office and coaching staff.

Golf – PGA/LIV – PGA Tour says players knew consequences of joining LIV Golf
The PGA Tour is asking a federal judge not to allow three suspended players from LIV Golf to take part in the FedEx Cup playoffs, the tour’s lucrative postseason. Talor Gooch, Matt Jones and Hudson Swafford are seeking a temporary restraining order in federal court in California. A hearing is set for Tuesday. The first FedEx Cup playoff event starts Thursday in Tennessee. The tour says in an opposition filing that the LIV players knew they were ineligible for the postseason two months ago and are just now filing for an emergency stay.

Tennis – Serena Williams earns first win of season in Toronto
Serena Williams earned her first win in more than a year by beating Nuria Parrizas-Diaz 6-3, 6-4 at the women’s National Bank Open. It’s just the second tournament of the season for the 40-year-old Williams, who returned to competition at Wimbledon just over a month ago. The 23-time Grand Slam champion fell in the first round to Harmony Tan in three sets at the All England Club. Before then, she last competed at the 2021 Wimbledon tournament, where she retired in the middle of her first match due to a torn hamstring. It was Williams’ first victory since the 2021 French Open.

Tennis – Russian tennis players collect 3 titles at US Open tuneups
It’s been quite a week for Russia’s professional tennis players. There were four WTA and ATP tournaments — and Russians earned three of those titles. One of them, Liudmila Samsonova, thinks it might not be merely a coincidence that this recent run of success for her, Daria Kasatkina and Daniil Medvedev comes shortly after they were banned from competing at Wimbledon because of their country’s invasion of, and ongoing war in, Ukraine. Samsonova beat Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the final of the Citi Open in Washington on Sunday. That came a day after Medvedev won the championship at Los Cabos, Mexico, and several hours before Kasatkina won a title in California. All three are hard-court tuneups for the U.S. Open.

NCAAFB – Oklahoma’s Gundy out after saying ‘racially charged’ word
A day after Oklahoma assistant head football coach Cale Gundy announced his resignation, the school said Gundy uttered what it called a racially charged word multiple times during a film session last week. Gundy had been with the program as an assistant since 1999. He announced his resignation Sunday in a social media post, and the school confirmed it with a statement shortly thereafter. Oklahoma sent out another statement on Monday giving more details about the incident.

NCAAFB – Bama gets top spot in preseason coaches’ poll
Alabama is No. 1 in the preseason USA Today coaches’ poll, with Ohio State second and defending national champion Georgia third. The Associated Press preseason Top 25 will be released Aug. 15. The Crimson Tide received 54 first-place votes from a panel of 66 major college football coaches. The Buckeyes received five first-place votes and the Bulldogs got six. No. 18 Texas also received a first-place vote.

NCAABKB – Equal pay for officials at men’s and women’s tournaments
The NCAA earned praise last year when it agreed to pay referees at its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments equally. The gesture only cost about $100,000, a tiny fraction of the roughly $900 million networks pay annually to broadcast March Madness. Now, as the NCAA examines various disparities across men’s and women’s sports, pressure is rising to also pay referees equally during the regular season. Two Division I conferences told The Associated Press they plan to equalize pay, and another is considering it. Others are resisting change, even though the impact on their budgets would be negligible.

MILB – Midwest League Baseball
Last Night
No games last night

Tonight
Peoria Chiefs at Great Lakes Loons, 7:05 p.m.
Lansing Lugnuts at Dayton Dragons, 7:05 p.m.
West Michigan Whitecaps at Beloit Sky Carp, 7:35 p.m.
South Bend Cubs at Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, 7:40 p.m.

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MLB – Major League Baseball
Yesterday
Tampa Bay Rays 7, Detroit Tigers 0
Chicago White Sox 8, Texas Rangers 2
Miami Marlins 3, Chicago Cubs 0

Rays 7, Tigers 0 – Rays draw 2 bases-loaded walks in 9th, beat Tigers 7-0
Yu Chang and Yandy Diaz drew bases-loaded walks in a seven-run ninth inning to help the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Detroit Tigers 7-0. With the game scoreless in the ninth, former Tiger Isaac Parades hit a one-out single off Tigers closer Gregory Soto, then took third on a two-out double by Francisco Mejia. Soto walked Jose Siri to load the bases, then missed on a 3-2 pitch to Chang.Soto walked Diaz, his fourth batter of the inning, to make it 2-0. The Rays walked a franchise-record 13 times while beating the Tigers on Friday.

White Sox 8, Rangers 2 – Chicago pounds out 15 hits, beats Texas 8-2 for series split
Andrew Vaughn had a two-run home run among his three hits, Luis Robert hit a two-run double, and AJ Pollock had two doubles in a three-hit game as the Chicago White Sox beat the Texas Rangers 8-2 to split a four-game series. The Sox had 15 hits, five for extra bases, after being limited to four runs and 13 hits in the previous three games. Nathaniel Lowe hit a solo homer in the seventh inning and delivered an RBI single in the third for the Rangers. The 452-foot homer was the longest by a Rangers player this season.

Marlins 3, Cubs 0 – Marlins hit back-to-back homers, Luzardo beats Cubs 3-0
Jesús Luzardo allowed one hit over seven innings for his first win since April, and Jacob Stallings and Peyton Burdick hit back-to-back home runs as the Miami Marlins beat the Chicago Cubs 3-0 to prevent a three-game sweep. Yan Gomes singled with two outs in the fifth off Luzardo. Nick Madrigal’s leadoff single in the ninth against Tanner Scott was Chicago’s only other hit. Scott then got a groundout and two strikeouts for his 15th save. Charles Leblanc opened the fifth with a double off Adrian Sampson before Stallings put Miami on the board with his third homer of the year. Burdick connected on the next pitch for his first major league home run. It was only Miami’s second victory in nine games.

Today
Washington (Sánchez 0-4) at Chicago Cubs (Thompson 8-5), 8:05 p.m.
Tigers and White Sox are off

NASCAR – Kevin Harvick ends 65-race drought with 6th win at Michigan
Kevin Harvick got his groove back, fittingly at one of his favorite tracks. Harvick ended a 65-race winless drought that lasted nearly two years with his sixth victory at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday. The No. 4 Ford pulled away from Bubba Wallace and the rest the field following a restart with 35 laps to go. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver took advantage of clean air, helping him coast to his 59th victory. Wallace finished second in his No. 23 Toyota followed by Denny Hamlin in his No. 11 Toyota.

WNBA – Women’s National Basketball Association
Yesterday
Chicago Sky 94, Connecticut Sun 91

Sky 94, Sun 91 – Parker, Sky beat Sun 94-91, set franchise’s win record
Candace Parker scored 18 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and tipped a pass to Emma Meesseman for a 3-pointer in the closing seconds to help the Chicago Sky beat the Connecticut Sun 94-91 to set the franchise record for wins in a season. Courtney Vandersloot had 20 points, five assists and four steals for Chicago (25-8). Meesseman and Allie Quigley added 15 points apiece and Kahleah Copper scored 11. DeWanna Bonner converted a four-point play and then found Thomas for a layup to make it 89-all with 43.6 seconds to go but Parker, in the post, tipped a touch-pass out to Meesseman for a wide-open 3-pointer to make it 92-89 with 28.0 seconds remaining and the Sky led the rest of the way.

NCAAHKY – Michigan names Naurato interim coach after Pearson exit
The University of Michigan promoted Brandon Naurato to interim hockey coach for one season on Sunday, two days after cutting ties with coach Mel Pearson following an investigation into the program. An investigation revealed in part that Pearson pressured student-athletes to lie about COVID-19 contact tracing last year. Pearson was 99-64-16 at Michigan over five seasons. Naurato was on Pearson’s staff last season after he was a player development consultant with the Detroit Red Wings for three seasons. He was a forward for the Wolverines and played minor league hockey for four years.

Golf – PGA – Kim arrives on PGA Tour with 61 to win Wyndham Championship
Joohyung Kim is the second-youngest PGA Tour winner since World War II. The 20-year-old South Korean who goes by “Tom” made a name for himself at the Wyndham Championship. Kim shot 61 and captured his first PGA Tour title by five shots. That makes him an instant PGA Tour member and now he’s eligible for the FedEx Cup playoffs that start next week. Rickie Fowler missed the cut but still managed to finish No. 125 in the FedEx Cup to advance. Justin Lower missed his card by three-putting for bogey from long range on the final hole.

Golf – Champions – Kelly wins playoff in Canada for 3rd Champions title of year
Jerry Kelly missed a chance to win in regulation at the Shaw Charity Classic. And then he made short work in overtime by making a 4-foot birdie putt to win. Kelly now has three wins this year on the PGA Tour Champions. That’s tied with Steven Alker for the most this year on the 50-and-older circuit. Alker didn’t play in Canada. He still leads the Charles Schwab Cup standings. Kelly shot a 67, while Huston had a 65. The final round was so tight that five players finished one shot behind. The group included U.S. Senior Open champion Padraig Harrington.

NFL – Browns RB Kareem Hunt practices after demanding trade
Cleveland Browns running back Kareem Hunt participated in team drills for first time in three days after demanding a trade. Hunt is the final year of a two-year, $12 million deal he signed two years ago, but is asking for a long-term extension. The 27-year-old has been productive during his three seasons for Cleveland. But he missed nine games last season with calf and ankle injuries. Hunt’s situation adds more drama for the Browns, who are waiting to see how quarterback long Deshaun Watson will be suspended for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. Hunt was not made available to speak with the media.

NCAA – NCAA looking to add “windows” for transfer portal
The NCAA will have a committee conduct more research on a recommendation to allow Division I athletes to switch schools as many times as they want with immediate eligibility. The transfer rule proposals were among several that came out of the NCAA’s Transformation Committee and were moved along by the Division I Council two weeks ago. The board did adopt Transformation Committee recommendations that would allow schools to provide more financial benefits to athletes. The proposed changes to transfer rules also included implementing sport-specific windows when athletes could enter their names in the transfer portal and be immediately eligible the following year.

MILB – Midwest League Baseball
Yesterday
Lansing Lugnuts 5, West Michigan Whitecaps 1 – 5 Innings
Fort Wayne Tin Caps 7, South Bend Cubs 5 – 8 Innings
Lake County Captains 11, Great Lakes Loons 8

Tonight
No games tonight

MHSAA – Fall practice begins today
Today marks the unofficial end of summer vacation for high school student athletes, as practice opens for the upcoming high school sports season.  The MHSAA says that almost 95,000 students will step on the fields around the state of Michigan today to prepare for their first games.  Girls golf and boys tennis will have their first games on August 15, August 17 for boys soccer, cross country, girls swimming and diving, and volleyball.  Football teams will be able to play games on August 25.

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MLB – Major League Baseball
Yesterday
Tampa Bay Rays 6, Detroit Tigers 2
Texas Rangers 3, Chicago White Sox 2
St. Louis Cardinals 4, Chicago Cubs 3 – Game 1
St. Louis Cardinals 7, Chicago Cubs 2 – Game 2

Rays 6, Tigers 2 – Lowe, Arozarena power Tampa Bay to 6-2 win over Tigers
Brandon Lowe had a home run among his three hits and drove in three runs as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Detroit Tigers 7-2. Randy Arozarena had four hits for Tampa Bay, which won back-to-back games for the first time since the All-Star break. Rays starter Jeffrey Springs (4-3) picked up the win, allowing two unearned runs in six innings. He struck out six without walking a batter. Drew Hutchison (1-5) allowed four runs on eight hits and three walks in six innings as Detroit lost for the fifth time in six games.

Rangers 3, White Sox 2 – Rangers win 3-2 over WSox in debuts of 2 former 1st-rounders
Meibrys Viloria had a tiebreaking pinch-hit RBI single in the seventh inning and Texas beat the Chicago White Sox 3-2. The Rangers became the first team since 1986 to have two of its first-round picks make their big league debuts as starters in the same game. Left-hander Cole Ragans, who twice had Tommy John surgery after being their first-round selection in 2016, allowed one unearned run over five innings in his debut. Bubba Thompson, the team’s first pick in 2017, had a bunt single. Brock Burke struck out four in two scoreless innings for the win. White Sox starter Johnny Cueto gave up 11 hits, with four strikeouts and no walks while pitching the entire game.

Cardinals 4, Cubs 3 / Cardinals 7, Cubs 2 – Quintana wins in St. Louis debut, Cardinals sweep DH vs Cubs
Newly acquired José Quintana won in his debut with St. Louis, Tyler O’Neill and Nolan Arenado homered and the Cardinals beat Chicago 7-2, completing a doubleheader sweep of the Cubs. The Cardinals won the opener 4-3 as Lars Nootbaar hit a tying sacrifice fly in the seventh inning and a game-ending RBI single in the ninth. Quintana, traded from the Pittsburgh Pirates to St. Louis on Monday, surrendered one run, one hit and two walks and struck out seven batters in six innings in a no-decision debut with the Cardinals, who have won four straight and are tied for first place in the NL Central with Milwaukee. Jordan Hicks (3-5) allowed a run on a hit and two walks, and Génesis Cabrera and Chris Stratton each tossed a scoreless inning in relief in the combined two-hitter.

Today
Miami (TBD) at Chicago Cubs (Steele 4-7), 2:20 p.m.
Tampa Bay (Kluber 7-6) at Detroit (Garcia 0-0), 7:10 p.m.           WSJM/WCSY 6:50
Chicago White Sox (Cease 11-4) at Texas (Otto 4-7), 8:05 p.m.

MLB – London Calling: Cubs-Cardinals set for London in June 2023
Major League Baseball plans to return to London next year for the first time since 2019. The league says the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs will play a two-game series on June 24 and 25, 2023, at London Stadium. The NL Central rivals were supposed to play in London in 2020, but the games were canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. MLB last played in London in 2019, when the New York Yankees swept a two-game set against the Boston Red Sox in June at London Stadium. Those were also MLB’s first regular-season games played in Europe.

MLB – Miguel Cabrera says he’s uncertain about playing in 2023
Miguel Cabrera says he may end his likely Hall of Fame career at the end of this season. The 39-year-old Detroit Tigers star mused on the subject Thursday amid a slump through the dog days of summer. Cabrera joined the 3,000-hit/500-homer club earlier in the season, and was hitting .308 as recently as July 8. Plagued by lower-body problems that have been a constant issue in recent seasons, he entered Thursday hitting .132 with three extra-base hits in his last 20 games. The Tigers came into the season as fringe contenders after a strong finish in 2021, but they have staggered to a 42-65 record with the worst offense in baseball.

NFL – National Football League Preseason – Hall of Fame Game
Last Night
Las Vegas Raiders 28, Jacksonville Jaguars 11

Raiders 28, Jaguars 11 – Raiders give McDaniels happy homecoming, beat Jaguars 27-11
Josh Jacobs and rookie Zamir White ran well on a rain-soaked field and the Raiders routed Jacksonville 27-11 in the Hall of Fame game Thursday night, spoiling coach Doug Pederson’s first game with the Jaguars. Derek Carr, the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback, and Davante Adams, the All-Pro receiver acquired in blockbuster trade with Green Bay, were among many starters who sat out for both teams. Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence wore a backward cap on the sideline while third-string quarterback Jake Luton was started.

NFL – Former attorney general to hear appeal of Watson suspension
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has chosen former New Jersey Attorney General Peter C. Harvey to hear the appeal of the six-game suspension for Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson. Watson has been suspended by independent disciplinary officer Sue L. Robinson, who concluded he violated the league’s personal conduct policy after being accused of sexual misconduct by two dozen women in Texas. The league wants further discipline and appealed Robinson’s ruling. The appeal gave the power back to Goodell to hand down punishment but he instead chose Harvey to hear the appeal.

NFL – Attorney urges Goodell to ‘do the right thing’ on Watson
A lawyer representing two dozen women who have accused Deshaun Watson of sexual assault or harassment says NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has a chance to “do the right thing” now that the league has appealed a six-game suspension for the quarterback. Attorney Tony Buzbee says “Every victim of sexual assault is watching Roger Goodell and the NFL right now.” The NFL’s appeal of an independent disciplinary officer’s decision gives Goodell or someone he designates the authority to increase Watson’s penalty. Goodell has named former New Jersey Attorney General Peter C. Harvey as his designee to hear the appeal.

WNBA – Women’s National Basketball Association
Tonight
Washington Mystics at Chicago Sky, 8:00 p.m.

WNBA – WNBA’s Griner convicted at drug trial, sentenced to 9 years
A judge in Russia convicted American basketball star Brittney Griner of drug possession and smuggling. She was sentenced to nine years in prison in a politically charged case that could lead to a high-stakes prisoner exchange between Washington and Moscow. Griner showed little emotion to the sentence but her lawyers said later she was “very upset, very stressed.” U.S. President Joe Biden denounced as “unacceptable” the verdict and sentence, which came amid soaring tensions between the U.S. and Russia over Ukraine. Griner had told the court she had no intention to break the law by bringing vape cartridges with cannabis oil when she flew to Moscow to play basketball in the city of Yekaterinburg.

WNBA – Brittney Griner recognized with WNBA moment of silence
Following Brittney Griner’s sentencing in Russia to nine years in prison Thursday, WNBA players, coaches and fans locked arms and tried to send the American basketball star strength during a moment of silence. Before the Connecticut Sun beat the Phoenix Mercury 77-64, players from both teams met at midcourt and silently bowed their heads for 42 seconds — a nod to Griner’s jersey number with the Mercury. Sun coach Curt Miller wore a “WE ARE BG” t-shirt. Griner, a two-time U.S. Olympic champion and a eight-time WNBA all-star, was convicted of drug possession and smuggling.

MILB – Midwest League Baseball
Last Night
Great Lakes Loons 5, Lake County Captains 4 – 11 Innings
West Michigan Whitecaps 5, Lansing Lugnuts 1
South Bend Cubs 3, Fort Wayne Tin Caps 1

Tonight
Great Lakes Loons at Lake County Captains, 7:00 p.m.
West Michigan Whitecaps at Lansing Lugnuts, 7:05 p.m.
South Bend Cubs at Fort Wayne Tin Caps, 7:05 p.m.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

MLB – Major League Baseball
Last Night
Minnesota Twins 4, Detroit Tigers 1
Chicago White Sox 4, Kansas City Royals 1
Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals, Postponed

Twins 4, Tigers 1 – Jorge López gets 1st save with Twins in 4-1 win over Tigers
Trade acquisition Jorge López earned his first save with his new team, newcomer Sandy León drove in two runs and the Minnesota Twins beat the Detroit Tigers 4-1. Carlos Correa and Gio Urshela added RBIs for the Twins, whose lead in the American League Central starting the day was one game over Cleveland. Entering to a nice ovation, López, an All-Star acquired Tuesday from Baltimore, earned his 20th save of the season with a 1-2-3 ninth inning. He needed just seven pitches, including a three-pitch strikeout of Eric Haase.

White Sox 4, Royals 1 – Lance Lynn, Jose Abreu lift White Sox over Royals 4-1
Lance Lynn threw four-hit ball over six innings, Jose Abreu homered for the second consecutive game and Eloy Jiménez hit three singles as the Chicago White Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 4-1. Lynn struck out eight for the third time this season while not walking a batter for the third time in his last four starts. Rookie Bobby Witt Jr. snapped Lynn’s shutout bid by hitting a home run with one out in the sixth. The White Sox won for the third time in four games while remaining two games behind the Twins and one behind the Guardians in the AL Central. The Royals fell for the seventh time in nine games.

Cubs at Cardinals, PPD – Cubs-Cards postponed; St. Louis’ new starters prep for bows
Wednesday’s game between the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals was postponed by rain, allowing the Cardinals to line up their newly fortified starting rotation. St. Louis added four pitchers in deals over the last several days, including left-hander José Quintana. He will make his Cardinals debut in the second game of Thursday’s day-night doubleheader. The twinbill was scheduled because of the rainout. Then, on Saturday, left-hander Jordan Montgomery will make his first start for St. Louis against his former team, the New York Yankees. New York dealt Montgomery to the Cardinals on Tuesday for outfielder Harrison Bader.

Today
Chicago Cubs (Stroman 3-5) at St. Louis (Mikolas 8-8), 1:15 p.m. – Game 1
Chicago Cubs (TBD) at St. Louis (Quintana 3-5), 7:45 p.m. – Game 2
Tampa Bay (Springs 3-3) at Detroit (Hutchison 1-4), 7:10 p.m.              WSJM/WCSY 6:50
Chicago White Sox (Cueto 4-4) at Texas (Ragans 0-0), 8:05 p.m.

MLB – Los Angeles mourning death of Dodgers’ Vin Scully
Flowers, candles and handwritten messages lie beneath a sign welcoming fans to Dodger Stadium at the main entrance on Vin Scully Avenue. Fans of all ages made their way to the ballpark and other points around Los Angeles to mourn the Hall of Fame broadcaster who died Tuesday night at age 94. Flowers and mementos decorated Scully’s star on the Walk of Fame. Moments of silence were held around the major leagues. The self-effacing Scully would have appreciated the tributes but would have likely found them to be “a little bit embarrassing.” That’s how he described the hoopla surrounding his retirement in 2016.

WNBA – Women’s National Basketball Association
Last Night
Atlanta Dream 91, Indiana Fever 81

Dream 91, Fever 81 – Howard scores 20 points, Dream hand Fever 15th straight loss
Rhyne Howard scored 20 points, Cheyenne Parker added 17 and the Atlanta Dream beat the Indiana Fever 91-81. Atlanta ended a four-game losing streak and moved into a three-way tie for seventh in the standings. Indiana lost its 15th straight game. Atlanta led 64-34 early in the third quarter before Indiana battled back to get within single digits at 82-77 with 5:02 left. But the Dream scored seven straight points and led by at least nine the rest of the way. Aari McDonald added 13 points for Atlanta. NaLyssa Smith scored 21 points for Indiana.

NCAAFB – Senators Tuberville, Manchin working on bill to tackle NIL
Senators Tommy Tuberville of Alabama and Joe Manchin of West Virginia have requested feedback from college sports leaders to be used to craft a bill to regulate how college athletes can be compensated for their names, images and likenesses. Tuberville is a Republican and a former college football coach from the state of Alabama. Manchin is a Democrat from West Virginia who is friends with Alabama football coach Nick Saban. In a letter to Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey, the senators said their staffs have already begun drafting legislation. Sankey and Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill during a lobbying trip in May.

NCAAFB – Proposed NCAA transfer rule changes kicked back to committee
The NCAA will have a committee conduct more research on a recommendation to allow Division I athletes to switch schools as many times as they want with immediate eligibility. The transfer rule proposals were among several that came out of the NCAA’s Transformation Committee and were moved along by the Division I Council two weeks ago. The board did adopt Transformation Committee recommendations that would allow schools to provide more financial benefits to athletes. The proposed changes to transfer rules also included implementing sport-specific windows when athletes could enter their names in the transfer portal and be immediately eligible the following year.

MLB – Blackhawks face Wild in Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum on Oct. 2
Milwaukee will host an NHL game for the first time in more than three decades when the Chicago Blackhawks face the Minnesota Wild at Fiserv Forum, the home of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks. The Oct. 2 preseason matchup marks the first NHL game at Milwaukee since 1993. It’s the first time the Blackhawks have played at Milwaukee since facing the Los Angeles Kings at the Bradley Center on Dec. 1, 1992. The Bradley Center, the Bucks’ former home, hosted NHL preseason games and minor league regular-season games annually from 1988-93.  The Bradley Center was home to the Milwaukee Admirals of the International Hockey League and American Hockey League.

NFL – Lions’ Hutchinson earning praise from teammates, coaches
Detroit Lions rookie Aidan Hutchinson has been getting his work done on the field and quietly has been handling his business off it. Coming into training camp as the team’s second overall pick in the draft, it would have been easy for Hutchinson to assume he’d be given respect immediately from his teammates, but he’d rather earn it. That kind of attitude is not always a given with young players, especially ones drafted so highly. But coach Dan Campbell said that kind of attitude is “exactly what you want in a rookie.”

NFL – NFL appeals 6-game suspension for Browns’ Deshaun Watson
A person familiar with the filing told The Associated Press that the NFL is seeking an indefinite suspension of at least one year plus a fine in appealing a disciplinary officer’s decision to suspend Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson for six games for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter isn’t public. The NFL’s appeal gives Commissioner Roger Goodell or someone he designates authority to impose a stiffer penalty. League spokesman Brian McCarthy said it’s still to be determined whether Goodell or someone else will hear the appeal.

NASCAR – Busch to miss 3rd NASCAR race with concussion-like symptoms
Kurt Busch will miss his third consecutive race with concussion-like symptoms when he sits out Sunday at Michigan International Speedway. Busch was injured after crashing in qualifying on July 23 at Pocono Raceway. Ty Gibbs will replace him in the Toyota for 23XI Racing for his third drive in the No. 45. Gibbs finished 17th at Pocono and Indianapolis, but Michigan will be his first traditional oval in a Cup car. Busch has a waiver to hold his spot in NASCAR’s playoff field should he qualify. Headed into Sunday’s race at Michigan he does have a spot based on his May victory at Kansas.

Golf – LIV – Mickelson, others sue PGA Tour over LIV Golf suspensions
The dispute between the PGA Tour and the Saudi-funded LIV Golf series is now in the courts. Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau are among 11 players who have sued the PGA Tour in federal court in San Francisco. They are challenging the tour’s right to suspend them for joining the rival league. Three other players are seeking a temporary restraining order that would allow them to play in the lucrative FedEx Cup playoffs, the PGA Tour’s postseason, which begins next week. The lawsuit was expected as soon as the Saudi-backed league launched and PGA Tour players began taking signing bonuses to play LIV Golf.

NCAAWBKB – UConn’s Bueckers suffers torn ACL, will miss upcoming season
UConn says women’s basketball star Paige Bueckers tore the ACL in her left knee during a pickup game and will miss the entire 2022-23 season. UConn announced Wednesday that Bueckers suffered the injury Monday and underwent an MRI that evening. The school did not say where the junior guard from Hopkins, Minnesota, was playing when the injury occurred. Bueckers was the 2020-21 AP national player of the year. She missed 19 games last season with a knee injury. She returned to lead the Huskies to the Final Four, where the Huskies lost to South Carolina in the championship game. UConn said Bueckers will undergo surgery on Friday at UConn Health in Farmington.

Curling – Slide over, bobsleds. Curling is coming to tropical Jamaica
Some expat Jamaicans living in Canada are hoping to bring a new winter sport to their tropical homeland. The island nation was recently granted conditional membership in the World Curling Federation. That gives Jamaica a chance to send teams to international competitions. And the new national governing body hopes it will help spread the word in a country better known for sprinters, reggae and rum. Curling Jamaica President Ben Kong says the curlers are following in the footsteps of the Jamaican bobsledding team that made it to the 1988 Winter Games. The WCF says it’s the latest in a series of non-traditional curling nations to join.

Soccer – England-US women’s game at Wembley sells out in one day
England’s women’s soccer team is continuing to generate unprecedented fan interest following its European Championship victory, with its planned game against the United States at Wembley Stadium in October selling out in less than a day. The game pitting the European champion against the reigning world champion was announced on Tuesday by England’s Football Association and will be played Oct. 7, subject to England having secured World Cup qualification in September. The Lionesses’ official Twitter account posted an update early Wednesday that said 65,000 tickets had been sold in less than 24 hours. The team later said the game was sold out. It comes after a crowd of 87,192 saw the Lionesses beat Germany 2-1 at Wembley on Sunday.

Soccer – Champions League to get new camera tech for offside calls
The Champions League will use a camera-based system to judge tight offside calls in the group stage starting next month. The Semi-Automated Offside Technology was also approved last month by FIFA for the World Cup in Qatar. It uses multiple cameras to more accurately track players’ limbs and the point when a key pass is made. The technology promises faster and more accurate offside decisions than are currently made with the Video Assistant Referee system known as VAR. Controversial calls have often flared in European leagues where VAR officials draw on-screen lines over players for marginal calls.

MILB – Midwest League Baseball
Last Night
Lansing Lugnuts 8, West Michigan Whitecaps 1 – F/8 Innings, rain
Great Lakes Loons 14, Lake County Captains 4
South Bend Cubs at Fort Wayne Tin Caps, PPD to Sat. (DH)

Tonight
Great Lakes Loons at Lake County Captains, 7:00 p.m.
West Michigan Whitecaps at Lansing Lugnuts, 7:05 p.m.
South Bend Cubs at Fort Wayne Tin Caps, 7:05 p.m.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

MLB – Major League Baseball
Last Night
Detroit Tigers 5, Minnesota Twins 3
Chicago White Sox 9, Kansas City Royals 2
St. Louis Cardinals 6, Chicago Cubs 0

Tigers 5, Twins 3 – Tigers top Twins 5-3 after Minnesota’s flurry of trade deals
Riley Greene had two hits and two RBIs as the Detroit Tigers spoiled Minnesota’s big trade deadline day, beating the Twins 5-3. Jason Foley (1-0) earned his first career win with a scoreless inning in relief of starter Matt Manning, who was activated off the 60-day injured list before the game after missing three months with right shoulder inflammation. Gregory Soto earned his 20th save. Griffin Jax (5-3) allowed three runs in 1/3 inning of relief. Mark Contreras hit his first career homer for the Twins, who have lost five of seven.

White Sox 9, Royals 2 – Jiménez drives in 4, Abreu homers, White Sox beat Royals 9-2
Eloy Jiménez had three hits and four RBIs, José Abreu homered and the Chicago White Sox pounded the Kansas City Royals 9-2. The White Sox made no major moves prior to the trade deadline and will bank on improvement from within as they try to overtake Minnesota and Cleveland to win their second straight AL Central championship. This one wasn’t exactly pristine, but the White Sox will take the lopsided win. Jiménez singled and scored in a three-run first inning and smacked a two-run double in the fourth to bump Chicago’s lead to 5-2. He added a long sacrifice fly in the sixth before Abreu chased Royals starter Brad Keller with a two-run homer making it 8-2.

Cardinals 6, Cubs 0 – Wainwright, reunited with Molina, hurls Cards past Cubs 6-0
Adam Wainwright pitched seven spotless innings with longtime catcher Yadier Molina back behind the plate, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs 6-0. Paul Goldschmidt homered and drove in three runs to lead the St. Louis offense. Dylan Carlson hit a two-run shot and made a nice catch in center field. Nolan Arenado also went deep. Molina returned from knee inflammation that had sidelined him since June 16. He and Wainwright made their 317th career start as batterymates, passing the Boston/Milwaukee Braves duo of Warren Spahn and Del Crandall for sole possession of second place in major league history since 1901. The only pair in front is Mickey Lolich and Bill Freehan with 324 for the Detroit Tigers from 1963-75.

Today
Detroit (Alexander 2-4) at Minnesota (Ryan 7-4), 1:10 p.m.                  WSJM/WCSY 12:50
Kansas City (Singer 4-3) at Chicago White Sox (Lynn 1-4), 2:10 p.m.
Chicago Cubs (Steele 4-7) at St. Louis (Mikolas 8-8), 7:45 p.m.

MLB – Contreras, Happ stay with Cubs after deadline passes
The Chicago Cubs are keeping All-Stars Willson Contreras and Ian Happ for now after Tuesday’s trade deadline passed with no deal for either. With the Cubs rebuilding and free agency looming, Contreras appeared destined to be traded. Fellow All-Star Happ also seemed like a good bet to be dealt. Contreras got a standing ovation in what many thought would be his final home game at Wrigley Field against Pittsburgh on July 26. Teammates hugged him following Sunday’s 4-0 loss at San Francisco, thinking that might have been his last game for the Cubs.

MLB – Twins stock up with starter Mahle, relievers López, Fulmer
The Minnesota Twins stocked up their sputtering pitching staff before Tuesday’s trade deadline. They acquired All-Star closer Jorge López from the Baltimore Orioles, starter Tyler Mahle from the Cincinnati Reds and reliever Michael Fulmer from the Detroit Tigers, giving up a total of eight prospects in three separate deals. The Twins took a one-game lead in the AL Central into their game on Tuesday. They have a 5.30 team ERA since the All-Star break.

MLB – Vin Scully, Dodgers broadcaster for 67 years, dies at 94
Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully, whose dulcet tones provided the soundtrack of summer while entertaining and informing Dodgers fans in Brooklyn and Los Angeles for 67 years, died Tuesday night, the team said. He was 94. Scully died at his home in the Hidden Hills section of Los Angeles, according to the team, which spoke to family members. As the longest tenured broadcaster with a single team in pro sports history, Scully saw it all and called it all. He began in the 1950s era of Pee Wee Reese and Jackie Robinson.
WNBA – Women’s National Basketball Association
Tonight
Dallas Wings 84, Chicago Sky 78

Wings 84, Sky 78 – Mabrey, McCowan help short-handed Wings beat Sky 84-78
Marina Mabrey scored a season-high 26 points, Teaira McCowan added 20 points and 12 rebounds and the Dallas Wings beat the Chicago Sky 84-78. Dallas was missing Arike Ogunbowale, who is third in the league in scoring at 19.9 points, due to an ankle injury. Kahleah Copper led Chicago with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Azurá Stevens, Allie Quigley and Emma Meesseman each scored 14 points. The defending WNBA champions, the Sky (23-8) had their franchise-record 10-game home win streak snapped.

Tonight
Indiana Fever at Atlanta Dream, 7:00 p.m.

WNBA – WNBA playoff picture still muddled, 2 weeks left in season
The WNBA playoff picture is still unclear with two weeks left in the regular season. Five teams have clinched postseason berths and only three games separating Chicago, Las Vegas and Connecticut at the top of the standings. Seattle and Washington also have earned a spot in the postseason and are tied for fourth and fifth. There are still six teams vying for the final three spots, setting up what should be an exciting finish to the regular season. Each of those six teams has at least one game left against the other teams in the group.

NBA – Bulls and Dragic finalize $2.9 million, 1-year contract
The Chicago Bulls and guard Goran Dragic have finalized a one-year, $2.9 million contract. The Bulls tweeted a welcome message in announcing the deal about a month after the two sides reached an agreement. The 36-year-old Dragic has averaged 13.7 points and shot 36.2% on 3-pointers over 14 seasons with Phoenix, Houston, Miami, Toronto and Brooklyn. From Slovenia, he made an All-Star team with the Heat during the 2017-18 season and helped them advance to the 2020 NBA finals. Dragic averaged 7.5 points while shooting 25.4% from beyond the arc last season for Toronto and Brooklyn.

NFL – NFL suspends Dolphins owner for tampering with Brady, Payton
The NFL has suspended Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross and fined him $1.5 million for tampering with Tom Brady and Sean Payton following a six-month investigation stemming from Brian Flores’ racial discrimination lawsuit against the league. The league’s investigation found the Dolphins did not intentionally lose games during the 2019 season but the team had impermissible communication with Brady and his agent, Don Yee. The Dolphins will forfeit a first-round selection in the 2023 draft and third-round selection in the 2024 draft. Ross is suspended through Oct. 17. He may not be present at the team’s facility and may not represent the club at any team or NFL event.

NFL – Art McNally set to become 1st NFL official in Hall of Fame
The NFL finally will have an on-field official in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Former referee Art McNally will be inducted into the Hall after a decades-long career starting as an on-field official and continuing as the head of officiating for the league. McNally was instrumental in modernizing and standardizing officiating. His use of film to teach and evaluate and a grading system is still mostly in use today and is credited for helping improve the way games have been called over the years.

MILB – Midwest League Baseball
Last Night
Lake County Captains 4, Great Lakes Loons 3
West Michigan Whitecaps 15, Lansing Lugnuts 8
South Bend Cubs 5, Fort Wayne Tin Caps 4

Tonight
West Michigan Whitecaps at Lansing Lugnuts, 1:05 p.m.
Great Lakes Loons at Lake County Captains, 7:00 p.m.
South Bend Cubs at Fort Wayne Tin Caps, 7:05 p.m.

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MLB – Major League Baseball
Last Night
Minnesota Twins 5, Detroit Tigers 3 – 10 Innings
Kansas City Royals 2, Chicago White Sox 1
Cubs were off

Twins 5, Tigers 3 – F/10 – Urshela’s 2-run homer in 10th gives Twins 5-3 win vs Tigers
Gio Urshela hit a game-ending, two-run homer in the 10th inning and Jose Miranda had three RBIs as the Minnesota Twins came back to beat the Detroit Tigers 5-3. Jose Miranda had three RBIs for the Twins, who maintained their one-game lead in the AL Central over Cleveland. Miranda hit a tying, two-run single in the eighth. He added an RBI single in the 10th before Urshela’s big hit. Tigers starter Tarik Skubal was pulled following five scoreless innings with left arm fatigue.

Royals 2, White Sox 1 – Perez, Merrifield homer, Royals edge White Sox 2-1
Salvador Perez and Whit Merrifield hit solo home runs, Daniel Lynch took a shutout into the sixth inning in his return from the injured list and the Kansas City Royals edged the Chicago White Sox 2-1 for their second straight win. Perez launched a monster blast for the second straight game and his third homer in four contests after missing 31 games with a left thumb injury and surgery. Merrifield’s drive into the left-field bullpen off Michael Kopech in the sixth might have been his last with Kansas City. A two-time All Star in seven seasons with the Royals, the second baseman has been the subject of trade rumors heading into Tuesday’s deadline. Tim Anderson and Andrew Vaughn each had two hits off Lynch, but the White Sox slipped back to .500 (51-51).

Tonight
Detroit (Manning 0-0) at Minnesota (Archer 2-5), 7:40 p.m.                 WSJM/WCSY 7:20
Chicago Cubs (Thompson 8-4) at St. Louis (Wainwright 7-8), 7:45 p.m.
Kansas City (Keller 5-11) at Chicago White Sox (Giolito 6-6), 8:10 p.m.

MLB – Braves get OF Robbie Grossman from Tigers for minor leaguer
The defending World Series champion Atlanta Braves have acquired veteran corner outfielder Robbie Grossman in a trade with the Detroit Tigers for minor league pitcher Kris Anglin. The 32-year-old Grossman is making $5 million this year and can become a free agent after the season. He has struggled for the out-of-contention Tigers with a .205 batting average, 13 doubles, two home runs and 23 RBIs in 83 games. The switch-hitter has started 43 games in left field and 31 games in right. Grossman set career highs in 2021 in his Tigers debut with 23 home runs and 156 games.

MLB – White Sox acquire lefty reliever Diekman from Red Sox
The Chicago White Sox have acquired left-handed reliever Jake Diekman from the Boston Red Sox for catcher Reese McGuire and a player to be named or cash. Later Monday, the Red Sox acquired left fielder Tommy Pham in a trade with Cincinnati in exchange for a player to be named later or cash. The 35-year-old Diekman is 5-1 with a 4.23 ERA in 44 appearances this season. The 6-foot-4 Diekman is particularly tough on left-handed batters, holding them to a .188 average this season.

WNBA – Women’s National Basketball Association
Tonight
Dallas Wings at Chicago Sky, 9:00 p.m.

WNBA – Brittney Griner’s trial resumes amid intensified diplomacy
Since Brittney Griner last appeared in her trial for cannabis possession, the question of her fate has expanded from a cramped courtroom on Moscow’s outskirts to the highest level of Russia-U.S. diplomacy. The WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist is to return to court on Tuesday. That is a month after the beginning of the trial in which she could face 10 years in prison if convicted. As the trial has progressed, the Biden administration has faced rising calls for action to win her release. In an extraordinary move, Secretary of State Antony Blinken last week spoke to his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, urging him to accept a deal under which Griner and Paul Whelan, an American imprisoned in Russia on an espionage conviction, would go free.

NFL – Browns QB Watson suspended 6 games, NFL weighs appeal
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson was suspended for six games after being accused by two dozen women in Texas of sexual misconduct during massage treatments, in what a disciplinary officer said was behavior “more egregious than any before reviewed by the NFL.” The punishment handed out by the game’s disciplinary officer, former federal judge Sue L. Robinson, fell well short of what the NFL had asked for: an open-ended suspension of at least a year for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. Watson, who played for four seasons with Houston before being traded to Cleveland in March, recently settled 23 of 24 lawsuits filed by women alleging sexual harassment and assault during the treatments in 2020 and 2021.

NFL – Watson discipline didn’t require legal charges
Deshaun Watson and the Cleveland Browns found out the severity of the quarterback’s punishment when he was suspended for six games for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. Disciplinary officer Sue L. Robinson made the decision after the NFL pushed for an indefinite suspension of at least one year and Watson’s legal team argued for no suspension during a three-day hearing. A player doesn’t have to be convicted or even charged with a crime to be disciplined for conduct detrimental to the league, per the collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and the NFL Players’ Association. Ezekiel Elliott, Ben Roethlisberger, Jameis Winston and Kareem Hunt are among players who have received suspensions despite not being charged criminally.

NFL – Fans debate Watson’s 6-game suspension for assault claims
Football fans are debating the six-game suspension for Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson. The reaction was mixed even among Browns fans who hope Watson can be a franchise quarterback. Touchdown Browns Backers Club President Rhonda Whitelock says some club members have told her they won’t watch the Browns anymore. She says other members don’t believe the women who have accused Watson of sexual misconduct during massage treatments.

NFL – Lions giving Harris chance to earn starting cornerback spot
Under a previous head coach and front office, Detroit drafted Will Harris in 2019 to play safety. Now, the Lions are giving him a chance to be a much-needed cornerback in coach Dan Campbell’s second season. Harris’ move to cornerback started in the middle of last season, when injuries at the position forced Lions coaches to adjust on the fly. In an effort to narrow his focus, the Lions are making Harris a full-time outside cornerback this year, and they’re giving him a shot at the starting job opposite Amani Orurwariye.

NFL – Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, Arizona QB Kyler Murray test positive for COVID-19
Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll has tested positive for COVID-19, the team announced. The Seahawks issued a statement about an hour before their fifth training camp practice started. The team said Carroll — who is fully vaccinated — tested positive on Sunday and is experiencing mild symptoms and is remaining at home. Carroll intends on participating in team meetings virtually until he is cleared to rejoin the team. Carroll is the oldest coach in the league and will turn 71 in mid-September.  Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray has tested positive for COVID-19. The two-time Pro Bowl selection tested positive on Sunday. Coach Kliff Kingsbury said on Monday that Murray was experiencing “minor” symptoms. The coach added that Murray will miss a minimum of five days. Murray also sat out Saturday’s practice with a sore right wrist. Kingsbury said that injury was “getting better.”

Golf – LIV – Norman says Tiger Woods turned down $700-800M Saudi offer
Tiger Woods turned down a Saudi offer Greg Norman says was in the neighborhood of $700 million to $800 million. Norman confirmed a figure he previously told the Washington Post. Norman was speaking to Fox News’ Tucker Carlson for an interview aired Monday night. The interview took place Sunday at Trump National in Bedminster, New Jersey. That’s where the third LIV Golf Invitational was held. Norman says he wasn’t the CEO of LIV Golf when Woods got the offer. Woods has spoken out against the Saudi-funded league. He says players who sign are turning their backs on the PGA Tour.

MILB – Midwest League Baseball
Tonight
Great Lakes Loons at Lake County Captains, 7:00 p.m.
West Michigan Whitecaps at Lansing Lugnuts, 7:05 p.m.
South Bend Cubs at Fort Wayne Tin Caps, 7:05 p.m.

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MLB – Major League Baseball
Last Night
Toronto Blue Jays 4, Detroit Tigers 1
Chicago White Sox 4, Oakland A’s 1
San Francisco Giants 4, Chicago Cubs 0

Blue Jays 4, Tigers 1 – Chapman homers, Berríos gets win as Jays beat Tigers 4-1
Matt Chapman hit a two-run home run, José Berríos pitched seven innings to win his third straight decision, and the Blue Jays beat error-prone Detroit 4-1 for Toronto’s 12th win in 15 games. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette had RBI doubles as the Blue Jays took three of four from the Tigers. Detroit is 4-7 since the All-Star break. Berríos allowed three hits, including a solo home run to his brother-in-law, Tigers shortstop Javier Báez. Chapman opened the scoring when he connected off Tigers right-hander Garrett Hill in the second inning, his 20th of the season and fourth this series.

White Sox 4, Athletics 1 – Jose Abreu, Eloy Jiménez homer; White Sox beat A’s 4-1
José Abreu and Eloy Jiménez homered, Dylan Cease threw six strong innings and the Chicago White Sox beat the Oakland Athletics 4-1. Abreu and Leury García had two hits apiece for the White Sox, who have won 10 of 15 and returned to above .500. Chicago, the preseason favorite to win the AL Central, trailed first-place Minnesota by three games entering the day. Liam Hendriks pitched around Ramón Laureano’s double in the ninth for his 20th save in 23 opportunities. Cease allowed a run and four hits, striking out seven and walking one.

Giants 4, Cubs 0 – Rodón dominates amid trade rumors, Giants beat Cubs 4-0
Carlos Rodón struck out 10 over seven dominant innings amid speculation he could be traded, and the San Francisco Giants beat the Chicago Cubs 4-0. Rodón got help from his defense early. Left fielder Luis Gonzalez reached over the outfield wall to snare Christopher Morel’s leadoff drive, and center fielder Austin Slater made a running grab of Nelson Velazquez’s hard-hit ball an inning later. Then Rodon took over. He fanned two in the second inning, then struck out the side in the third and fourth. He yielded two hits, none after the third inning. It was the 18th double-digit strikeout performance of his career and his sixth this season.

Tonight
Detroit (Skubal 7-8) at Minnesota (TBD), 7:40 p.m.                    WSJM/WCSY 7:20
Kansas City (Keller 5-11) at Chicago White Sox (Kopech 4-6), 8:10 p.m.
Cubs are off

WNBA – Women’s National Basketball Association
Yesterday
Chicago Sky 95, Connecticut Sun 92 – OT
Las Vegas Aces 94, Indiana Fever 69

Sky 95, Sun 92 – OT – Sky score final nine points, beat Sun 95-92 in overtime        
Kahleah Copper scored 27 points, Allie Quigley hit two big shots in overtime and the Chicago Sky beat the Connecticut Sun 95-92 in a matchup between two of the top teams. Connecticut (20-10) led 92-86 after Jonquel Jones sank 1 of 2 free throws with 2:02 remaining. Quigley answered with a 3-pointer and Courtney Vandersloot hit two foul shots to get Chicago (23-7) within 92-91 with 90 seconds left. Following a Sun turnover, Emma Meesseman made a go-ahead layup with 47.3 seconds to go and Quigley scored down low with 8.1 left to cap the scoring and a 9-0 game-ending run. DeWanna Bonner topped the Sun with 23 points and nine rebounds, while Alyssa Thomas scored 22 with eight assists and five steals.

Aces 94, Fever 69 – Plum, Aces deal Fever club-record 14th straight loss 94-69
Kelsey Plum scored 26 points and the Las Vegas Aces beat Indiana 94-69, handing the Fever a club-record 14th straight loss. Plum sank 9 of 12 shots with three 3-pointers as Las Vegas (22-8) beat Indiana (5-27) for a second time in three days. A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young and reserve Theresa Plaisance all scored 13. A pair of rookies paced the Fever. No. 2 overall pick Nalyssa Smith had 18 points and 13 rebounds, while second-rounder Destanni Henderson came off the bench to score 16 with four assists. Leading scorer Kelsey Mitchell didn’t play after it was announced Saturday she’d miss the remainder of the season with a plantar fascia tear in her left foot.

NBA – Bill Russell, NBA star and civil rights pioneer, dies at 88
The NBA great Bill Russell has died at age 88. His family said on social media that Russell died on Sunday. The statement did not give the cause of death, but Russell was not well enough to present the NBA Finals MVP trophy in June due to a long illness. Russell anchored a Boston Celtics dynasty that won 11 titles in 13 years. His last two were as the first Black head coach in any major U.S. sport. Russell was a Hall of Famer, five-time MVP and 12-time All-Star. He won with defense and rebounding and waged battles with Wilt Chamberlain. Russell also marched for civil rights with Martin Luther King Jr. and stood with boxer Muhammad Ali when he refused military induction.

NFL – AP sources: Decision in Watson discipline case coming Monday
A decision on discipline for Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson following accusations of sexual misconduct is coming Monday. Two people with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press that retired judge Sue L. Robinson has informed the NFL and the NFL Players’ Association she’s ready to issue a ruling on Watson’s disciplinary hearing that concluded a month ago. They spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the discussions are private. Watson was accused of sexual harassment and assault by 24 massage therapists in Texas and has settled 20 of the civil lawsuits filed against him. Four lawsuits remain pending and the attorney representing the women has said he hopes to take them to trial sometime next spring.

Golf – PGA – Finau wins Rocket Mortgage for 2nd straight PGA Tour victory
Tony Finau ran away with the Rocket Mortgage Classic on Sunday at Detroit Golf Club to become the first PGA Tour player in three years to win consecutive regular-season events. Finau closed with a 5-under 67 for a five-shot victory and a tournament-record 26-under 262 total. Taylor Pendrith, Patrick Cantlay and rookie of the year front-runner Cameron Young tied for second. Finau coasted to his fourth career victory, a third title in 11-plus months. He was the 3M Open winner last week in Minnesota, where he rallied from five strokes back to win by three. Brendon Todd was the last to win two straight in the regular season, doing it in 2019.

Golf – LIV – Stenson wins LIV Golf event and gets $4 million in debut
Two weeks after Henrik Stenson was stripped of his Ryder Cup captaincy for Europe, he’s a winner in his debut on the Saudi-backed LIV Golf series. The Swede got large and immediate returns. He shot 69 at Trump National. He won by two shots over Dustin Johnson and Matthew Wolf. And the payoff for Stenson was $4 million for the individual win, and $375,000 for his team finishing second. Dustin Johnson now has three top 10s in three event and already has made just over $5.2 million. The LIV Golf series doesn’t return until the first weekend in September.

NASCAR – Reddick wins at Indy to close best month of NASCAR career
Tyler Reddick closed the best month of his NASCAR career with a victory in overtime on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He broke through for his first career victory on July 3 with a win at Road America in Wisconsin and announced nine days later he was leaving Richard Childress Racing in 2024 to drive for Michael Jordan’s team. His second win in five races made Reddick the first Childress driver since Kevin Harvick in 2013 to win multiple races in a season. Austin Cindric finished second in a Ford for track owner Roger Penske and was followed by fellow rookies Harrison Burton and Todd Gilliland, who both had career-best finishes.

NCAA – Pac-12’s Kliavkoff jabs Big 12, touts future after USC, UCLA
Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff says his conference is far from finished, despite the defections of Southern California and UCLA. Kliavkoff confirmed the Pac-12 is actively exploring expansion during an eventful, occasionally feisty opening speech at his conference’s football media day in the nation’s second-largest media market. While painting a promising picture of the league’s future even after USC and UCLA leave for the Big Ten in 2024, Kliavkoff also threw several jabs at the Big 12. The commissioner said he had spent the past month “trying to defend against grenades being lobbed in from every corner of the Big 12 trying to destabilize our conference.”

MILB – Midwest League Baseball
Yesterday
West Michigan Whitecaps 6, Dayton Dragons 5
South Bend Cubs 9, Lake County Captains 8
Great Lakes Loons 4, Lansing Lugnuts 1

Tonight
No games tonight

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